The Disappearance of Hikigaya Hachiman
by CaptainDrew
Summary: Hachiman always believed that his existence never had an impact on those around him. But what happens when he suddenly...disappears? How will his classmates react? What will happen to the service club? And whose feelings will come to surface?
1. His Absence

**A/N: Hey guys! Hope you enjoy my first fanfic!**

 **I do not own Oregairu.**

* * *

Chapter 1: His Absence

Hikigaya Residence, Hachiman POV

Relationships. The epiphany of human social interaction. People believe that these relationships are what define an individual's life. In fact, some go as for to assert that one's supposed self-worth in life relies on the belief that his existence has an impact on those he interacts with. He believes that the world he knows would not exist without his influence on others, that if some mysterious force were to pluck him off the face of the planet, the world would react accordingly.

Humans have this mentality as an excuse for their feeling of inferiority in a world of seven billion other humans, source: me. The insignificance of one person among the entire human population is often overlooked, where many would rather attempt to make a name for themselves than accept reality.

I, on the other hand, know that whoever I have social interactions with ultimately has no effect whatsoever on my definition of self-worth. As a loner, I always believed that my existence would not cause many ripples in the pool of society. I always believed that if I were to disappear, the results would be so minute that the world would move on as if I didn't exist in the first place.

That being said, I now consider the evidence countering my belief over my second year at Sobu High. I am a part of the Service Club with Yukinoshita and Yuigahama, and it is reasonable to say that I have contributed to the "success" of some of the requests. However, I highly doubt that a different outcome would occur if I did not join the club in the first place. Yukinoshita, with her intelligence and level-headedness, would be able to address most of the requests, and with Yuigahama they could replicate the club's success. Therefore, my existence in the club can easily be replaced.

Now, one can argue that I do have an impact on others since I have lost my loner status some time ago. Although I have picked up that Yuigahama may have "feelings" for me, I know that she feels this way because I saved her dog as a 1st year, and if that did not occur, she and I would be no more than club mates. Also, if it were not for Yuigahama, the rest of Hayama's clique would not recognize my existence as any more than a dead fish-eyed loner in class 2-F. And to those who think I'm some sort of masochist, I am proud that I have held the status of a lone wolf for so long. Moving on, Isshiki does see me as her reliable senpai who's forced to help out with most of her student council duties. I argue that any other 2nd year would qualify as her "senpai" if she desired.

There is my cute little sister Komachi, and I do care about her. However, she and I have been living in the same house for fifteen years, so it is inevitable that we get along as brother and sister. I cannot deny that if I were not Komachi's onii-chan, we would treat each other as strangers.

The reasoning becomes more complicated when it comes to Yukinoshita. As you would expect, she is an intelligent yet cold-hearted ice-queen beauty, so it seems that she would not describe our relationship as any more than club-mates. She did reject my offer to be friends, twice. However, she is the only person I have uncertainty in deducing her motives, whether it is illogical or emotionally motivated. Specifically, the reason for her to continue interacting with me is not as concrete as others; Yuigahama holds guilt over the car accident, Isshiki depends on my help for student council, and Komachi my cute and lovable imouto. _Dammit, maybe I do have a siscon._ The only conclusion I can determine is that whatever motive she has, even she doesn't know. And if she does not know, then I have no motivation to pursue any further.

I now lie on my bed, pondering the same question over and over again. What would happen if I suddenly vanished from the world?

The simple answer is not much; the world would continue to spin and people would move on with their lives. In a perfectly logical world, my absence changes nothing.

But the world is not logical; humans are not logical.

So, what would _really_ happen if I were to…

…disappear?

* * *

Hikigaya residence, Komachi POV

It's another morning at the Hikigaya residence. The sun is shining, I'm making delicious tamagoyaki (that's basically an egg omelet for you Americans), onii-chan is still asleep, the birds are singing…what? Onii-chan is still asleep?!

"Onii-chan! It's time to get up and have breakfast with your cute Komachi!" I yelled. Time for an uplifting statement. "Don't worry about being a loner, I'll always be there for you with my tamagoyaki! Oohh that must have scored high in my book!" After I placed the tamagoyaki on the table, I ran upstairs and stopped in front of onii-chan's bedroom.

"Onii-chan, I know you're lazy and would rather practice your role as a house-husband, but you still have to go to school." After a moment of silence, I started knocking on the door. No answer. Geez onii-chan, at least show that you recognize your cute little sister! I pressed my ear against the door and tried to hear his breathing—ehhh, that sounded like something onii-chan's perverted mind would think! Gah, living with him for fifteen years and all I get are his dirty thoughts!?

Anyway, his room was silent, and I was getting impatient. As his loving imouto, it is my duty to keep his attendance up, so I must not give up! I instinctively moved my hand to the door handle and tried to turn it, expecting it to be locked. I jumped back a little when the door opened.

 _It was unlocked?_ I thought. _Sorry onii-chan, but I must disturb your sleep and get you ready for school_.

I opened the door a little more and looked inside. Onii-chan's room is usually kept tidy, against all societal norms. It must be from his dedication to become a house-husband in the future. However, today is not a normal day: drawers open, books on the floor. It looked like a tornado ripped through his room and left everything cluttered on the floor. However, there is something missing—no, some _one_ missing.

"Onii-chan?"

* * *

Sobu High, Yuigahama POV

"Yumiko, Hayato, Tobechi, Hina! Yahallo!"

"Good morning Yui" Hayato said with his usual charming smile.

"Yuigahama" Yumiko waved before returning to her phone.

"Yui! What's up!" Tobe shouted, holding two thumbs up.

I walked over to my seat and sat down, looking out the window. The snow is starting to melt outside, marking the end of winter and eventually the end of 2nd year. It's been almost a year since I joined the Service Club with Hikki and Yukinon, and it's been like, totally awesome. I can remember the first day I entered the clubroom with a request, seeing both Hikki and Yukinon arguing like an old married couple. _Like an old married couple_ I thought. I can't help feeling a little jealous of how close they are, arguing with each other like they've known each other for forever. It's like it was meant to be, the two of them, and I'm the third wheel of sorts.

Ehhhh? Since when did I sound so depressing?! It's all Hikki's fault. After only ten months of being in the same club as him, his Hikki germs are starting to rub off on me. Aww…

As I continued to think, Hiratsuka-sensei had already walked into class and began attendance.

"Ebina."

"Present!"

"Hayama."

"Present!"

"Hikigaya."

Silence.

"Hikigaya?"

I suddenly snapped out of my thoughts and turned my head towards Hikki's seat. Hikki's not here yet? I stared at the empty seat for a couple of seconds. "Hikki?"

"Don't worry Yui," Hayama replied, "he's probably late again."

"Alright." I kept my eyes on his desk for a few more seconds before looking back at the window.

After Hiratsuka-sensei finished attendance, she started today's lesson, and I began to doze off. Once in a while, I quickly glanced at the door and then at Hikki's desk, wondering where in the world is he. After half an hour of modern Japanese, I jumped a little when my phone went off.

"Yuigahama, you know the policy when a student's phone goes off" Hiratsuka-sensei replied. "You can take it now, but in front of the whole class." A few classmates giggled, including Tobe, and I felt my cheeks turn bright red. I slowly opened my phone to see who was calling me: Komachi Hikigaya.

Huh? Why is Hikki's little sister calling me now? I picked up the phone and answered.

"Komachi! Yahallo-"

"Yui! Is onii-chan in class right now?" Woah, I was about to ask her the exact same question! That is like, so cool—wait, why is she asking me about Hikki?

"Heh? Hikki's not in class. I thought you would kno— "

"ONII-CHAN!" I was so startled by Komachi's scream that I almost dropped my phone. The class probably also heard Komachi, and became dead silent. Then, I could hear sobbing on the other end.

"Komachi, what happened? Are you okay?"

"S-so he really d-did it." What? Hikki did something? What did he do? It was probably something stupid, like the time he got himself hurt saving my—oh no. Did Hikki get into another accident? I started panicking, hearing Komachi still sobbing on the other end.

"What do you mean Hikki did it? Where's Hikki?"

"I-I found a note on onii-chan's bed"

"…"

"Onii-chan r-ran away"

My heart stopped.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's Chapter 1 ! This story is just getting started! It looks like it'll be greater than 10 chapters, so fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride! Please fav/follow if you like and reviews are totally welcome. See you in the next chapter!**


	2. Her Reaction, or Lack Thereof

Chapter 2: Her Reaction (or lack thereof)

" _H-Hikki ran away?"_

" _I-I couldn't believe it e-either."_

" _No…no this can't be right…" Tears started rolling down my face. Hikki…_

" _I-If you w-want proof, I'll text you O-Onii-chan's n-note". Seconds later, my phone received a message. I opened it and stared at the picture. No, this can't be real…it just can't…but…it sounds so much like Hikki…_

" _N-no…" It was too much. I…I can't. I broke into sobs, the whole class was watching me, but that didn't matter. Nothing mattered. Only…only…_

 _Hikki…_

* * *

Clubroom, Yukinoshita POV

I'm sitting in my usual spot in the clubroom, holding my cup of tea, waiting for Hikigaya-kun and Yuigahama-san to come. The afternoon sun gave the otherwise empty room a warm and comfortable feeling. It felt, pleasant. I mean, I do not dislike the cold, as I often find myself enjoying the snowfall during winter break, seeing my breath suspended in the air before vanishing in the cold night air. However, I've noticed lately that some things have changed. The past few months have been, in my opinion…how would I say it…more enjoyable than I would have expected. It was definitely a change in events, a shift from the predictable life that described my childhood.

It really started when Hiratsuka-sensei brought me over to start the Service Club. I thought at first that the club wouldn't have used so much of my time and effort, but I found myself coming back to the clubroom more often that I had hoped. I became a little concerned about the club affecting my academic status, and what that would have caused with my…parents. As time progressed, I allowed the club to become a part of my schedule, yet schedule is really the wrong word to describe it. The unpredictability and surprises once in a while became the new normal, but I do not consider this a negative aspect. Change is a universal process, an inevitable event, but that doesn't mean that it is bad.

Speaking of change, I've also noticed how the Service Club has changed people, for better or for worse I cannot say. Hayama's clique had an overall change in group dynamic, becoming closer together and, I would say, friendlier. After Yuigahama-san joined, she still retained her airhead qualities, but she did show her caring character. Then there is Hikigaya-kun, the pessimistic loner. Nevertheless, I still believe that deep inside his twisted soul, there are small changes that are taking place, and I feel…less irritated…that he's slowly warming up.

Then, there is me, the supposed leader of the Service Club. It's hard to tell if I changed from my perspective. Have I changed?

I heard footsteps approaching the door, so I prepared myself for Hikigaya-kun, Yuigahama, or another visitor with a request. The footsteps stopped in front of the door, and an awkward silence continued for a couple of seconds. After what seemed like a minute, the door slowly slid open, revealing a girl with pink hair buns. Yuigahama-san.

"Good afternoon, Yuigahama-san", my usual greeting.

"Oh, Yukinon...yahallo…" I quickly backtracked at the tone of Yuigahama-san's voice, and I looked up to study her face. Her eyes were puffy and red, her lips quivering, and her hair somewhat disheveled. In short, she was a mess. She was obviously upset over something, and I felt concerned for her. My mind started racing to determine what might have caused her to end up like this. Maybe she didn't score well on a test? Or did she end up in trouble? Or…wait, what am I doing? I'm leaving a clearly distressed Yuigahama-san there while I should be trying to comfort her.

"Yuigahama-san, are you okay? What happened?" I could see a tear form and roll down her cheek.

"Um…it's …"

"Don't worry, just come over here and sit down". She slowly approached the table and took a seat, looking down at the table. I let her have a few minutes to hopefully calm down and collect her thoughts.

In the meantime, I tried to decipher what could bring Yuigahama-san to tears. Going back to my previous train of thought, it is unlikely that it is related to her academic standpoint, so it must be a personal issue. I admit, I'm not the best at addressing personal matters as well as other problems, since they are more delicate and require a level of attention to a person's feelings. With most problems, there is a simple method that is used to solve it, but when a person's emotions are involved, it becomes more complex. Right now, I can't tell what she is thinking, and I can't figure out a way to really help. I hate to admit it, but Hikigaya-kun's deducing skills would come in handy now… wait, where is Hikigaya-kun? He usually follows her to the clubroom.

"Hey Yuigahama-san, did you see Hikigaya-kun when you were walki—"

Suddenly, she bursted into tears when I mentioned Hikigaya-kun, and I suddenly realized my mistake. Her feelings must be related to him somehow. I quickly grabbed the tissue box from the back corner and gave it to her, trying to do my best to comfort her.

What did Hikigaya-kun do to make Yuigahama-san so upset? He must have done something really stupid this time. _Stupid. Idiot. Nincompoop. Hachiman._

"H-Hikki…" I snapped out of my train of thought when Yuigahama-san said his name. I couldn't wait any more. If I'm going to help her, I have to know what really happened.

"Yuigahama", I started, in the most gentle tone I could muster, "it's okay, you can tell me. So, is Hikigaya-kun involved with this?"

She nodded. Alright, that's a start.

"Okay, did Hikigaya-kun do something that made you upset?"

She nodded again. Hikigaya-kun, you must have really screwed up this time. When you decide to show your face again, I'll make sure you receive the proper punishment for your actions.

"Okay, so what did he do?"

An awkward silence filled the room for what seemed like a minute. I find myself again staring at Yuigahama-san, trying to anticipate what she is going to say.

"H-Hikki…he…"

"…"

"H-he r-ran away."

For some reason, her words didn't register in my mind.

"I'm sorry, Hikigaya-kun did _what?_ "

She blew her nose again and looked up at me with her bloodshot eyes.

"Yeah, I-I couldn't believe it at f-first either." Believe what?

"But H-Hikki's little sister Komachi c-called me earlier."

"…"

"H-Hikki ran away."

Again, I couldn't comprehend the situation. "What?" _Crap. Did I say that out loud?_

"Yukinon! How many t-times do I have to say it!" She started crying again. "H-Hikki RAN AWAY!"

My mind froze as I stare dumbfounded at the girl next to me. Somehow, putting Hikigaya-kun and "running away" felt like an impossible combination of words, as if it wasn't even a recognizable language. Hikigaya-kun…running away? That's impossible. There is no way his character would allow him to run off like that.

"Yukinon…it's not impossible." What? I said that out loud? I thought that this only happens to Hikigaya-kun! Ugh, I must have caught his Hikki germs before he…left.

"This isn't a trick or anything? Hikigaya-kun really did run away?"

"Y-yes he did! Komachi even s-sent me a picture of Hikki's note!"

"Can I see it?"

"Um, okay". She pulled out her phone and gave it to me. I took it and stared at the picture on the screen. It was unmistakably Hikigaya-kun's handwriting. I decided to read it out loud, much to Yuigahama's dismay.

" _Significance is a stupid word. To say an object has significance is materialistic. To say a person has significance is an overstatement. To say I have significance is a lie. If you're reading this, check what time and date. Has it been 12 hours since I left? Two days? A week? The real question is: does it really matter? The reality is that I left because I felt my presence was only a burden on those I associated with. My absence can be regarded as my final social suicide. I leave behind two parents, a younger sister, a single teacher, two clubmates, and those who know my name, in whatever form. I don't know where I'll go, or for how long. That is all I have to say. Oh, and Komachi, you can use my room now that I'm gone. Dammit, maybe I do have a sis-con. Might as well put that out there. Don't worry about me, just carry on with your lives, that is my request. Sincerely, Hachiman_ "

It was unmistakably Hikigaya-kun who wrote this. It reeks of his pessimism and dark logic. But still, why would he decide to do _that_? I kept staring at Yuigahama's phone, reading the lines over and over in my head. Then, a realization popped into my mind.

I wasn't totally off with my original thought; it's not impossible for him to suddenly run off, but it is highly unlikely that it would stay that way _forever_. Even a pessimistic loner like himself understands that he will have to return sooner or later, and by his logic, sooner requires much less effort. It is very possible that he shows up tomorrow and acts as if it never happened, or that it wasn't a big deal. In that case, I have to show him how his actions brought Yuigahama-san and Komachi to tears, as well as made many people worry about his safety. He needs to know that no matter how isolated he tries to be, he still has an impact.

I glanced at the clock and immediately jumped a little. I've been reading Hikigaya-kun's note for fifteen minutes?

"Um, Yukinon, a-are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm f-fine." Why am I stuttering? I took a couple of seconds to regain my composure before starting. "Anyway, I believe that Hikigaya-kun, wherever he is right now, should be okay and that we shouldn't worry too much about his whereabouts."

After I finished my sentence, Yuigahama-san's eyes widened and her mouth was left agape. She was staring directly at me, and I couldn't help feeling a little concerned. Did I say something wrong? Well, it did sound somewhat blunt, but it was, in my opinion, a—

 _Slap!_

I felt a sharp sting on my left cheek. I stopped thinking and looked over to Yuigahama-san, who was standing up and breathing heavily. Tears were rolling down her face. I brought my hand to my cheek, still feeling a little sting. It didn't really hurt, but still…Yuigahama-san just…slapped me?

"Yui—"

"How could you say that!?" She glared at me, her face overcome with anger. I tried to say something, but my voice was gone.

"…"

"H-how could you say something like that! About Hikki, about how w-we, we shouldn't… _worry?_ " Her anger had left her, and she just stood there, tears streaming down her face, her body shaking a little. At that moment, I somehow unfroze and gave her a hug, wrapping my arms around her, trying to calm a crying Yuigahama-san down. We stood there in a tight embrace for a few minutes in silence, except for her sobbing and sniffling.

Suddenly, the door slid open and Hiratsuka-sensei appeared, wearing her usual lab coat. However, her facial expression was not the usual indifferent look but more concerned.

"Hiratsuka-sensei…" I started.

"Don't worry about it, Yukinoshita-san. I'll wait for you two to settle down so we can talk a little." She gave sad smile, and I reluctantly separated myself from Yuigahama-san. She seemed somewhat better, so I motioned for her and Hiratsuka-sensei to take a seat. After we were all seated, Hiratsuka-sensei cleared her throat and spoke.

"I'm sure you both know about Hikigaya-kun's sudden…absence, and that you are both worried about him." Yuigahama-san glanced at me for a second, but said nothing.

"I called Hikigaya-kun's parents, and they said Komachi had told them and that they notified the police earlier." She paused a moment and took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm afraid that's all we know for now."

"But…" Yuigahama-san suddenly blurted. "But we s-should be able to do _something?_ We can't just wait for H-Hikki to like, come back by himself!"

I sighed a little and replied. "Yuigahama-san, it would be nice to find him right away, but we don't even know where he is right now. And it wouldn't be safe if we were to look for him ourselves."

"But…"

"I have to agree with Yukinoshita-san on this. The police are already looking for him, and we can't really do much more for him aside from hoping for his safe return." After Hiratsuka-sensei finished her last sentence, we found ourselves again in a period of silence. Yuigahama-san was staring blankly at the table, sometimes letting out an almost inaudible "Hikki". Hiratsuka-sensei was staring out the window, obviously thinking about something. I uncomfortably shifted my eyes between the two, cautiously sipping from my Pan-san cup. A tense feeling loomed over the clubroom, and the warmth in the room had left long ago.

"Yuigahama-san." It was Hiratsuka-sensei who broke the ice again.

"Ehh…y-yes sensei?"

"You said that Hikigaya-kun's little sister found his note and sent it to you, correct?"

"Y-yeah"

"Can I see it?"

"Oh…um s-sure." Yuigahama-san picked her phone up from the table and passed it to Hiratsuka-sensei. She opened the phone and stared at the screen. She had a confused look on her face, her eyebrows furrowed and her lips slightly parted. Then, her eyes lit up, just for a moment, before she closed her eyes.

"I see…" Hiratsuka-sensei?

"Um…Hiratsuka-sensei? Do you…see something?"

"Eh? Oh…no, I was just comparing Hikigaya-kun's note to the crap he gives for his modern Japanese assignments." She chuckles a little, then sighs. "Even in this note, he still sounds like himself." With that, she stood up and said goodbye before taking her leave. She walked out the door and out of sight, but not out of earshot. I heard her mutter something that stuck to me. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into H—"

"SENPAAIIIII!"

 _Crap.  
_

* * *

 **A/N: And that's Chapter 2. I made it longer, as requested (well it was going anyway to be longer because of the content). Anyway, this chapter is IMPORTANT. You have been warned. See you guys in the next chapter.  
**


	3. A Fox's Plan goes Awry

Chapter 3: A fox's plan goes awry

* * *

 **Yukinoshita POV**

"SENPAAIII!"

Once I heard our student council president's signature call from the hallway, I felt my spirits drop a second time. Isshiki-san is probably one of the last people I would want to see at this time, in this complex of a situation. On a normal day, I wouldn't dislike Isshiki's bright and cutesy character, and she usually goes on to bother…him… with her student council president duties. However, today is certainly not a normal day. Within the past hour, I've witnessed a side of Yuigahama-san I haven't seen before, and learned of something I would never have thought Hikigaya-kun would ever do. From this, I am having qualms about the imminent meeting with Isshiki-san. Since it is already after school hours, I suspect that she might already know about Hikigaya-kun's absence, and that she would come to us for confirmation. In that case, it would be our turn to comfort her, and looking at Yuigahama's condition, it looks like the bulk of the work falls in my hands. I looked over at Yuigahama and saw her looking back at me, her eyes describing a pleading look. I knew that she was still shaken from earlier, and that Isshiki would only add more discomfort to the situation.

"Don't worry, I'll handle this," I spoke, using the most gentle voice I could create. Yuigahama kept looking at me, but finally nodded a little. Now that we were in agreement, I turned to door and waited for Isshiki to appear. As if on cue, she appeared at the doorway. It reminded me of Yuigahama's entrance not too long ago. But that's where the similarities ended. She was panting a little from running, but her eyes weren't puffy from crying. In fact, she was…smiling? Does that mean…

"Hallo Yukino-senpai! Yui-senpai! SENPAAI—" she stopped and I could see her eyes scan the room. "Huh? Where's senpai?"

Oh no, Isshiki didn't know of Hikigaya-kun's…disappearance? As much as I am relieved that the word hasn't spread as much as I expected, I now felt more uncomfortable as the worst possible scenario has been realized: Isshiki does not know yet and I would have to break the news to her. I looked at Yuigahama again, and she was obviously in panic mode. I turned my attention back to the waiting Isshiki, and prepared a solution.

"Good afternoon, Isshiki-san. Hikigaya-kun couldn't make it…today." I then studied her reaction, a mixture of surprise, confusion, and…sadness? She's already saddened by my first statement? Did she see through what I said? As far as I know, only Hikigaya-kun possesses an observant skill of that caliber, and I doubt she could replicate his ability to discern a person's true motives. However, I have to resolve this problem before it escalates. The temperature in the room already fell a few degrees, and heaviness in the room became unbearable. I have to treat the situation cautiously, but I need more time.

"Ne, Isshiki-san, how about we go out and talk about what you need from us this time?" Sometimes the solution is more time to think of a better solution. Also, since Isshiki-san didn't know about his situation, she would have come to us for a different reason, most likely another request from the student council.

"What I need…ah yes! That's a great idea Yukino-senpai! The room feels a little cold, so we could go somewhere that's warmer!" Isshiki-san, did you just read my mind? "I know! Let's go to the café!"

The plan worked easily. Almost too easily. I turned to Yuigahama, and she seemed content with the decision to leave the clubroom. In fact, if my eyes weren't deceiving me, I could see a slight smile on her face. Maybe the old Yuigahama has returned, and maybe things will get better, right?

We walked out of the clubroom and off school campus, towards downtown Chiba. The café was a good ten minute walk from the school, giving me time to assess the situation at hand. Iroha Isshiki: student council president, with a bright and foxy character. In terms of her relationship to Hikigaya-kun, she could be defined as "close" to him, but I would describe them as more of a senpai-kouhai relationship, and a very lopsided one indeed. I would probably need a calculator to even find out the number of times Hikigaya-kun's help was needed by his kouhai, ironically so since one of his mottos states, " _To work is to lose_." The work he has done for the Service Club most likely surpassed all the "effort" he used for the first sixteen years of his life, though that doesn't really say so much now does it. Before his introduction to the service club, if a normal person were to stare into his dead-fish eyes and request him to do extra work, he would obviously reject and cut any ties with that person indefinitely. That's the Hikigaya-kun that joined the service club almost a year ago, the one who…wait, how did I go off on this tangent? Back to Isshiki-san, who I believe would have a reaction to the news. However, on a scale of one to ten in terms of intensity, Isshiki-san would probably score a six. For reference, I would rate Yuigahama's reaction as an eight, and mine as a three. As I stated before, I would not expect her to see Hikigaya-kun as much more than a pessimistic yet reliable senpai. No offense Yuigahama, but a reaction greater than a nine I would only expect from Hikigaya-kun's immediate family members and maybe even his future significant other, if that is even possible. Hah, the day Hikigaya-kun actually accepts the idea of relationships is the day the writer Wataru Watari releases Volume 12 of his popular light novel **[1]**. It would be quite the contest to see who stays single longer, Hiki-loner-kun or Hiratsuka-sensei…no, I am definitely not suggesting they go together, student-teacher relationships are strictly forbidden, and that is an indecent idea that only the likes of Hikipevert-kun would think of. Okay, back to the main issue. With Isshiki-san, I would have to account for all possibilities, even those that are literally impossible. So hypothetically, if Isshiki's reaction reaches or surpasses that of Yuigahama, it would certainly create a tense atmosphere at the café, and having Yuigahama around would only make the situation worse. Maybe the café wasn't the perfect location, as I would fear for the ears and sanity of its customers. Perhaps an underground bunker is more suitable, or a deserted island, or…stop it Yukino, you do not have time for this. At this time I would usually blame Hikigaya-kun for distracting me, yet the focus of this issue is…him. Anyway, maybe I'm overreacting to the situation at hand, since the probability of Isshiki creating such a firestorm is next to zero if not zero. On the other hand, the probability of Hikigaya-kun running away is also the same. With this, I unfortunately cannot leave anything to chance. Now, time to formulate a solution—

"Ah, Yukino-senpai! We're here!" Heh? I found myself staring at the front door to the café. Disappointed with my failed effort to conjure a solution, I resorted to my original method of comforting and reassuring. If it worked for Yuigahama, it should for Isshiki. I sighed and readied myself before opening the door and entering.

The café had a reasonable number of customers, judging it was a school-night and still technically winter. I led the two girls to a table near the window and we took a seat, Yuigahama sitting next to me and Isshiki sitting across. I made sure I was closer to the door than Isshiki, so I could stop her before things go south, although that was an extreme precaution. Turning to Yuigahama, I see her condition has improved since what happened in the clubroom, and I was slightly relieved. Just then, a waiter came over to take our orders. I went first.

"I'll just have green tea, please."

"Eh, I'll have the caramel macchiato." Geez Yuigahama, ordering a fancy-named and equally priced caffeinated and sugar-rich drink. On a normal day, I would be concerned about restraining a hyper Yuigahama. At least she wasn't stuttering anymore. However, when Isshiki spoke, I felt the hair on my skin stand up.

"Eto, I'll have a MAX Coffee." Suddenly, alarms started firing off in my mind. MAX Coffee. _MAX Coffee._ Hikigaya-kun's beloved **MAX Coffee.** The sickly sweet beverage that only a certain fish-eyed loner can tolerate, and one of the last drinks I expected our student council president to drink. Both Yuigahama and I were staring at her in disbelief, yet she didn't seem to notice. She continued to stare out the window, with a slight tinge of…pink? Okay…this is not right, we shouldn't be making Isshiki uncomfortable about a simple beverage choice. I quickly came up with something to diffuse the situation.

"Ne, Isshiki-san—"

"Iroha, when did you start drinking MAX Coffee?" Baka! I shot Yuigahama a cold stare, and she instantly froze and realized her mistake, and I could see her lips moving to say " _Gomenasai_ ". Isshiki then looked at us, fumbling with her response.

"Oh, ehh, well I, just started drinking it to see if it was really as bad as you guys say, since senpai always drinks it, and…well…" The situation became awkward, again.

"Isshiki-san, never mind Max Coffee. Say, how are your student council duties?" Isshiki made a complete 180 in expression.

"Oh! You know, they keep giving me so much work to do! You remember when the other schools joined for the Christmas event? Now, they like want to do the same thing with an end-of-year event for the 3rd years going off to university. I mean, that seems totally fun and all, but it means more work for the student council, which means more work for me!" Isshiki continued her drawn-out rant about her role as student council president, and a few minutes later, our drinks arrived.

"You know, I was thinking of bringing senpai here today, but he couldn't make it right?" Suddenly, the atmosphere became tense again. Why does Hikigaya-kun have to come up in our conversation so often?

"Yeah…well, Hikigaya-kun said he was busy after school helping his little sister Komachi with something. We all know he has a sis-con by now." Yuigahama looked at me with a slightly saddened look after my jab, probably because it resembled what he wrote in his letter. Luckily, Isshiki didn't notice.

"Right! I knew he had a sis-con, right Yui-senpai?" Yuigahama again had the expression of a scared cat again. Come on Yuigahama, at least try to be in your character. Surprisingly, her expression changed to one with a bright smile I've seen so many times. She must have read my mind.

"Exactly! Like, he always seems so much nicer with anything that involves Komachi! I mean, what he's doing today has to be really important that he missed school—"

"Heh? Senpai missed school today?" Yuigahama...scratch everything. If you were reading my mind, then ignore everything I meant before about trying to act in character. Just stay quiet. I internally face-palmed myself as the situation became even more complicated.

"Yes, Isshiki-san, I'm afraid that Hikigaya-kun may become a delinquent one day and won't be able to make it in society. Then, his only option left is to become a house-husband."

Isshiki started giggling. "Yukino-senpai, stop making fun of senpai so much! Though, he being a house husband does fit his character." She then lowered her voice. "I guess that's alright as well…" Huh? Now Isshiki was saying nonsensical things.

"Isshiki-san, I do not think Hikigaya-kun being a house-husband is alright for him, but I do acknowledge your effort to sympathize for his pathetic cause."

"Eh? Did I say that out loud!?" I guess everybody caught the Hiki-germs. Well, at least the issue of Hikigaya-kun has been averted, for now. I felt bad for lying to her, but now really wasn't the best time to break the news…

"Oi, it's Hayato-senpai! And Miura-senpai and Tobe-senpai and Ebina-senpai! Hallo!" After Isshiki mentioned those names, I turned around to see Hayama's clique entering the café.

"Ah, good afternoon, Isshiki" Hayama-san warmly greeted, motioning his group to walk towards our table. As they approached, time seemed to slow down as my mind entered a slight panic mode. Since they were all in Yuigahama's class, they already knew about Hikigaya-kun's disappearance, and they probably do not know that Isshiki doesn't know yet. Why does the situation have to keep getting worse? As they arrived, they apparently just noticed me and Yuigahama sitting across from Isshiki.

"Oh, good afternoon Yukinoshita and Yui."

"Good afternoon to you too Hayama-san. Interesting seeing all of you here, right?"

He chuckled a little. "Yeah, we just decided to hang out over her for a while, it must be the same for you three too."

Isshiki then entered the conversation. "Yeah! Before we came here, we were in the clubroom and it was just so cold there. I mean, sometimes I can't believe you can stay there for so long." Thanks Isshiki for that wonderful comment.

"Well, Isshiki-san, you have been coming to the service club a lot more often recently…" I noticed a slight twist in Isshiki's expression, which meant I accidently stepped on a landmine. My apologies, Isshiki-san. Now, we should be fine as long as we avoid—

"Ne, Yui, you feeling any better?" Hayama-san, why do you have to make things so complicated with that inflated chivalrous character of yours? You just _had_ to mention this sensitive topic now? I glanced at Yuigahama, seeing her hesitate for a moment. Then her happy mask returned.

"Yeah Hayato! I feel totally better!"

"Eh Yui-senpai? Were you sick or something?" Not now Isshiki.

"No, Isshiki, Yui was a little down after hearing that Hikitani—"

"Hiki _gaya_ -kun," I cut in, "and yeah, she was a little upset after hearing that he was absent, but everything was cleared up when we heard that he was only helping Komachi with something." I waited for Isshiki to look away before I turned to Hayama's confused expression and gave him a warning glare, placing my index finger on my lips and tilting my head towards the student council president. It took a moment, but it seemed like Hayama somewhat understood what I meant, and slightly nodded.

"Yukinoshita, what are you talking about?" Miura-san refuted. "Didn't Hikio, like—" Luckily, Hayama came to the rescue and wrapped his arm around her and used his free hand to cover her mouth.

"Now Yumiko, we don't need two girls worrying about him right now." Again with his chivalrous character. Miura, on the other hand, became a mess of emotions, ranging from being disgusted about Hayama's comment to being flustered by their current body positions. Her face became an increasingly darker shade of red as the seconds went by. Miura, stop being so flustered right now, you know Isshiki's sitting right there.

"Aww…" Ebina piped up. "Looks like the Hayato x Hikitani ship sank! That's such a pity! I was so excited to see the two of them finally showing their affection for each other and taking it to the next level and—"…and there goes Ebina-san's nose as her mind apparently spiraled into space.

"Hey, what's up with you guys? You're all acting so strange." Tobe. Don't. Say. Another. Word. Hayama was about to move again before it was too late.

"Irohasu, do ya know what's up with them?" Stop Tobe. "Oh! I think I know. But it seems like Yui cheered up!" I needed to stop this, but I couldn't find my voice. "I also was kinda depressed when Yui said Hikitani…"

"Tobe-san, no—"

"Tobe, you shouldn—"

"…ran away." The temperature of the café suddenly dropped twenty degrees. Everything froze. I felt a cold sweat form on my forehead as emotions started to form, namely anger, specifically towards Tobe. Before I was about to murder him, I resisted the temptation and turned my attention to Isshiki. She was also frozen in place, her mouth left slightly open, her eyes unreadable. Everyone else reacted similarly, except for Tobe, of course. "Um, you guys okay? Did I say something wro—"

" _Tobe-san,_ " I spoke, feeling the venom and spite flow out of my mouth. "Some things are _better_ to be left _unsaid_ , and I hope you _understand this_ the next time you _open your mouth_." Tobe jumped back a little, immediately closing that mouth of his. Silence ensued for some time, adding to the awkward nature of the situation.

"Um…I think it would be best if we were on our way, pardon for our…ehh…conversation." With that, he signaled his group to take their leave.

"Right, well it's alright. See you tomorrow." They were about to leave when I thought of something. "Oh, Yuigahama-san, you can go with them now…I'll stay with Isshiki-san." Yuigahama looked at me for a second, and she looked slightly relieved.

"Okay, Yukinon. See you tomorrow. Um…bye Iroha!"

"…"

Yuigahama got up and left with Hayama and the others. That left me and Isshiki at the table. She was still frozen in place, and the atmosphere only became more tense. Minutes passed in silence. Finally, I cleared my throat to speak. It looks like I have no choice but to speak the truth and do what I could.

"Isshiki-san, I'm sorry I lied earlier. I know I shouldn't have, especially to you."

"…"

"I hoped that I could tell you when the time was right…that was entirely my fault."

"…"

"Anyway…about Hikigaya-kun." I saw her twitch a little.

"What Tobe said…was true. Yuigahama-san received a call from Komachi that Hikigaya-kun…" I paused a moment for a breath. "Hikigaya-kun…ran away." I looked down at the table, hating myself more than ever. I looked back up at Isshiki-san, and she still sat there motionless. Her eyes weren't directed specifically at me, more like somewhere above my head…or into empty space.

"Isshiki-san, I think I know how you feel right now—"

"No, Yukino-senpai, you don't."

Those words pierced my mind, shattering my current train of thought. I was taken aback by her, but I knew better not to press any further.

"Okay, maybe I don't know, but still…I hope you understand the situation better now." I realized I was still beating around the bush. "Isshiki-san—"

"I was thinking of bringing senpai here today." I flinched a bit when she repeated her earlier words. She then closed her eyes. "I must be an idiot."

"Isshiki-san, you are most certainly not an idiot—"

"I-I knew senpai wanted something genuine."

"…"

"I even had…a p-plan." _A plan?_ Isshiki, what are you saying right now?

"Isshiki-san…" I couldn't think of what to say. I stared at her, and I could see her on the verge of tears.

"How did I b-become like this? It's all your fault, senpai."

I was totally lost. What did Isshiki-san mean? I had to figure out myself, since right now she was also lost in her own world. I started putting the pieces of information Isshiki gave. She had a plan, and she wanted Hikigaya-kun to come to the café today…so that was her plan? It also must have involved MAX coffee somehow…right? That means…she started drinking MAX coffee because…wait. The information started meshing together into a complete picture. Isshiki planned to meet with Hikigaya-kun and wanted to drink the same thing the he usually did, but why? That's a thing that is usually reserved to…it couldn't be. That…that is impossible, even more so than his disappearance. I looked at Isshiki, who had tears running down her face now.

"Isshiki-san, what…what do you mean…"

"Y-Yukino-senpai, you should be able to figure out."

"I-I can't."

She sighed, tears still streaming down her face. "I understand, it took me so long to figure out too."

"Isshiki…"

"I always thought it was Hayato…" She was sobbing now.

"But after Destinyland, I knew what was happening…"

"…what I really felt."

"So…I thought…I thought…"

"Isshiki-san…"

"…I thought I could give h-him something genuine…"

It couldn't be. It was impossible.

"…because…"

But then again…

"…because I…"

…Hikigaya-kun running away was impossible…

"…I…like…"

…so this was nothing new…

"…senp—no... H-Hachiman."

But it still hurt.

* * *

[1]: Wataru Watari is the author of _Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru_ _._

 **A/N: Phew…that was intense. I always thought Isshiki had something for our favorite loner, and as proof, watch Hayama after his refusal at Destinyland, or in episode 12 of season 2 where the girls all look up when Orimoto asks whether she ever gave Valentine cookies to 8man (also confirms harem). Now, before anyone decides to roast this chapter, I have explaining to do. For those who believe the OOC is too much, I see it as more of how 8man changes those around him, basically proving his entire theory about his insignificance wrong. Also, as you have noticed, Yukino will have to deal with a similar problem of proving herself wrong. That is why she is the main character, and it follows her line. Sorry for giving some clues away, but I felt it had to be done. BTW, I got some inspiration from the OVA, with Iroha and Hachiman together. However, I won't reveal the main ship, because you know it already, using your unreasonably large amount of logic.**

 **Also, THANK YOU for almost 100 favorites and over 150 follows. I couldn't believe how much this story is liked. Again, this is my first fanfiction, so I have underestimated myself so many times. I won't let you guys down.**

 **Anyway, since winter break's coming up, you'll see updates coming up faster, so stay tuned. This story, as I have said before, is just getting started. There will be much more development, as well as many more surprises along the way. See you then.**


	4. The Snow Refreezes at Night

Chapter 4: The Snow Refreezes at Night

 **A/N: Sorry for the delay, hope you guys enjoy.**

* * *

 **Yukinoshita POV**

"I like senp—no, H-Hachiman."

I couldn't move. Frozen in place, I just stared at Isshiki-san's sobbing face. I believe I was in state of shock, but I couldn't know for sure. At that moment, I couldn't tell anymore whether today was reality or some twisted dream, with every passing second becoming more and more illogical. My body had shut down on me, and my mind kept repeating her statement over and over again. _I like Hachiman._ Somehow, that provoked something I had not expected, something I felt back in the clubroom when Yuigahama-san first declared Hikigaya-kun to be absent. Only this time, the feeling was…more unsettling than before, as if her words had resonated with something I felt…but I don't know…why. For a split second, I felt as if I knew the answer, that it was clear why all of this was happening, but the answer became shrouded in darkness as I regained control of my mind. We were still at the café, only now there were less people than before. The sun was beginning to dip below the buildings outside, and the coldness started to seep from the windows. I was still looking at Isshiki-san, who still had tears rolling down her cheeks. However, she was also staring back at me, and she was somehow reading my expression. She then looked back down at the table.

"Isshiki-san," I finally found my voice again. "I…see now why you are so upset about Hikigaya-kun's absence." I was trying to find the right words to help her, but I felt my mind was still somewhere else. "You know, we're all sad that he left so suddenly, and…" Again, I was fumbling my words. I had to do something.

"But…" I said. I waited a moment before I started again. "But I know that Hikigaya-kun will come back."

Isshiki-san suddenly raised her head, her lips trembling a little. "Y-Yukino-senpai, h-how are you sure?"

"I know Hikigaya-kun …or at least the Hikigaya-kun today would…take responsibility for his actions. "

"Senpai…today?" Right, she only met him after a few months ago.

"Well…when you first came to the service club, you met a Hikigaya-kun who was much different than the pessimistic loner back in the beginning of the year."

"Obviously, he is still a pessimistic loner, but he's starting to figure out that there are people who care about him and his actions." Embarrassing as it may seem, it was the truth. No matter how rotten his eyes are, or how pessimistic and twisted his methods…he has people who care. There's his sister, Komachi-san, his parents, Yuigahama-san, Isshiki-san…even I—

"Yukino-senpai, you seem to k-know a lot about senpai. Is it that—" Heh? W-what?

"T-That's not the point. I mean, we all care about him, and…that shows that he does have a reason to come back. Even his dense brain should see that."

"What I'm trying to say, Isshiki-san…is…he's going to come back, so we shouldn't worry too much." There was a moment of silence, where our eyes met each other. Neither Isshiki-san nor I moved from our positions, only looking at each other. Tears were still streaming down her face, but I could tell she wasn't as sad as before. In fact, she had a small smile on her face. A sad one, but a smile nevertheless.

"Y-Yukino-senpai…thank you." Before I could reply, she excused herself and left the café. After a few minutes, I decided it was best that I returned home as well, and I got up to pay for the drinks. Before leaving, I noticed a bill sticking out under Isshiki-san's drink. _Even when she's that depressed, she always acts like that._ I smiled a little more when I realized Yuigahama-san didn't pay for her drink, but that's partially my fault for encouraging her to leave. _Would she have even paid for it? I didn't see her with her purse today._ I chuckled a little at that. I left the café and stepped into the late winter air. The temperature dropped significantly since we entered a few hours ago, so I should try to get home quickly. As I walked, I was still thinking over my conversation with Isshiki-san. I knew what I said was true: Hikigaya-kun is a different person now, and he knows better. Yet…I feel that when I told this to Isshiki-san, I was also trying to convince myself as well.

"Today was just so strange…" I mutter to myself. I look around, watching people walk up and down the streets, just like an ordinary evening. I look back down and kept walking. It is interesting, how an incident like Hikigaya-kun's absence could spark so much emotion in some people, while it remains unnoticed by everybody else. However, that is how the world works… and—

 _Thump!_

While I was deep in my thoughts, I accidentally bumped into someone. It took me a second to regain my composure before apologizing to the girl. "Oh, I'm sorry for bumping into y—wait…Komachi-san!?"

In front of me was none other than Komachi Hikigaya, Hikigaya-kun's younger sister. And the two adults standing behind her must be her parents. On her face was an expression I saw too many times today…sadness, eyes red from crying, slightly parted lips. As I look at her, I saw the reflection of Yuigahama-san in the clubroom, or Isshiki-san at the café just a while ago. Maybe, if I were to pass by a mirror today, I would see myself wearing that same face…

"Eh, Y-Yukino-san?" She looked slightly surprised for a moment, that face of gloominess melting a little. But it returned again and she looked away.

"Ah, sorry for my daughter bumping into you as well." It was Komachi-san's father, speaking with a slight tone of melancholy. "She has been pretty devastated because of personal matters-"

"Kyon, you don't have to be so conceited. You must be Yukinoshita Yukino. Komachi said much about you with…Hachiman." **[1]**

Again, mentioning his name caused the air to become much colder than usual. Both parents looked uneasily at each other and at Komachi, who looked even more depressed, if that were even possible.

"Em…yes, I'm Yukino Yukinoshita, and I know about what happened to…Hikigaya-kun. It was actually Yuigahama-san who told me about it after Komachi-san called her in the middle of class…" At this, Komachi pouted.

"But it was really important! I mean, I wouldn't have called for anything else." I could see Hikigaya-kun's parents chuckling a little.

"Well, that call did leave an impression on Hiratsuka-sensei. If anything, she might like you next year, compared to someone else. Just don't bring up her single status, or else…" I exaggerated looking over my shoulder to check if Hiratsuka-sensei was there. By that time, Komachi-san couldn't help but laughing herself. Objective completed.

"Yukinoshita-san, it looks like you cheered up my daughter, and I'd like to thank you for that." Hikigaya-kun's father then gave a warm smile. "If you don't mind, we'd like to invite you for dinner with us." Hikigaya-kun's mother nodded in agreement, and Komachi-san had almost no trace of gloominess. It seems as my presence would be beneficial, outweighing the slight awkwardness.

"If it is okay with you, then I'll accept your invitation." And with that, we walked towards Hikigaya-kun's house.

* * *

"Itadakimasu!"

I was now at Hikigaya-kun's house, eating dinner with his parents and his little sister. The walk home was pretty quiet, emotionally speaking. There was significant back-and-forth between Hikigaya-kun's parents, and it would be reasonable to say that they are an interesting couple. I find the father a relatively normal person, really nothing out of the ordinary.

The mother on the other hand…

"So, Yukinoshita, I heard from Komachi that you started a club, the Service Club right?"

I quickly snapped out of my thoughts, again, to reply. "That is correct, though it was Hiratsuka-sensei who encouraged me to start." She grinned and lightly patted her husband.

"See that, Kyon? Starting a club isn't crazy at all! You know, it brings me back to when I was Brigade Chief of the—"

"Haruhi," her husband interjected. "I think that it's best not to go—" **[2]**

"What are you talking about?! Yukinoshita-san, pardon for my husband's rudeness." I rest my case.

"Back in high school, my husband and I were part of the SOS Brigade I created, and we used to search for supernatural events. Ah, it brings back so many memories, right Kyon?"

"Hmm…I remember all the times you basically molested Asahina-san or made her wear inappropriate costumes for our activi—"

"I knew it!" She glared at her husband with puffed out cheeks.

"Heh?"

"Y-you only remember those moments because she had a bigger chest than I did!" At that moment, both Komachi-san and I blushed, while Hikigaya-san face-palmed. Did I mention that Hikigaya-kun's mother is an interesting character? Nevertheless, the back and forth between the two of them did prove humorous, and at least it was lightening the atmosphere a little.

"Haruhi, that's—"

"Gah! Men are all the same! Yukinoshita-san, don't you feel the same?"

"Eh?"

"Don't you hate it when you see another girl with a bigger chest than you and that's all that guys care about?" I felt my face turn much redder after that comment, and I tried to avoid thinking of the issue. However, I couldn't prevent certain thoughts invading my mind. I mean, I couldn't deny her point, but I couldn't blame Yuigahama-san for that. Now that I think about it...

* * *

 _ **Flashback, Chiba Mall**_

"You'll get reported if you conduct such suspicious activity." I coldly stated at Hikigaya-kun after catching him looking suspicious in front of the store. We were at the mall, spending today together as a club after we learned of Hikigaya-kun's unauthorized "date" with Isshiki-san. He jumped back, but after noticing it was me, changed his expression and replied.

"I won't get reported at this level. At most, this is the level the shop assistant comes close and says something to me." What kind of twisted logic is that?

"That's already something you should try to avoid. I wish you don't perform any embarrassing conduct since you're with us."

"Yeah, I'll be careful." He turned around, and an awkward silence ensued. I instinctively turned in the same direction as Hikigaya-kun and stayed quiet. After a moment of tension, he cleared his throat and said something.

"Where's Yuigahama?"

"She's checking if we can publish the store for the free newspaper." Again, silence returned. This time, I turned towards the side and scanned around, until something caught my eye. It was an advertisement for a "bra" that promises to make you look two cup sizes bigger. I felt my face heat up a little, but I couldn't avert my eyes. One part of my mind was begging me to stop and just turn around, while the other part stayed fixated on the figure. I finally snapped out of the trance and quickly started walking down the hallway. I noticed my hand over my chest, clutching to my shirt, speculating whether I did that out of pure instinct.

 _ **Flashback End**_

* * *

Wait, did Hikigaya-kun notice me staring at that?

"Mom, you're being kind of embarrassing right now…" Komachi-san pointed out, but I could see her laughing a little at the back and forth banter. Her mother, apparently still interested in this discussion, made a quick rebuttal.

"Now, Komachi-chan, this is a very important topic we're discussing, and besides, it seems that you're happier now." However awkward it may seem, it was the truth. "Thanks to me, this meal turned out to be lively and—"

"Haruhi, I believe it is more of a group effort…it's not like you control everything." This sounds strangely familiar, yet I can't put my finger on it.

"Well, of course I can't control everything. If I were some God-like person, I wouldn't have my son run away, right?"

"Whatever you say…" We continued to eat our meals. I was still blushing somewhat from the conversation, but the mention of Hikigaya-kun definitely caused the atmosphere in the room to dampen.

"Anyway, Yukinoshita-san, how close are you with Hachiman?" Komachi-san gasped with a look of shock and embarrassment, while her father had another signature facepalm moment. As for me, a mixture of emotions flooded my mind at that moment, some of which I have a hard time describing. Perhaps I was overthinking this…the question probably doesn't hold as much weight as I assume.

"Hikigaya-kun and I have been clubmates for almost a year, though there is not much more between us than that." She seemed disappointed with my response.

"Is that so? Komachi did say you declined to be friends with Hachiman, I think…twice? But that was a few months ago..."

Hikigaya-kun's father then spoke up. "Heh, maybe he is useless with girls, though I don't think the expectations were high in the first place." I suddenly felt a sense of irony in the room, and I was internally shaking my head. If only I could tell him that Hikigaya-kun is surprisingly popular with the girls who know him, judging from Isshiki-san's…confession just recently as well as Yuigahama-san's…well just Yuigahama-san in general. Saying that there's three people who like Hikigaya-kun, I would say his pessimistic approach somehow…w-wait did I say three?! Where d-did I get _three_ from? I meant two…just _two_. Yuigahama-san and Isshiki-san… _two_. I obviously can't do math in my h-head…and for some reason I'm stuttering in my own mind! "Yukinoshita-san…are you okay?"

"Eh? Y-yeah, I'm fine." Smooth, Yukino. Really smooth.

"Alright…ne Haruhi, I need your help with some work upstairs. Sorry for departing from this…interesting conversation we had."

"Kyon…it was starting to get interesting! Well, maybe finding Hachiman a girl is not a top priority right now, but it's—"

"Okayyy, that's enough for one day." Hikigaya-kun's father quickly took his wife by the hand and rushed upstairs, out of sight and eventually out of earshot. I could hear her yelling random phrases all the way up. I looked over to Komachi-san, who was mostly quiet during whole fiasco. She didn't finish half her plate yet, compared to her mother, who had seconds before being dragged upstairs. This situation drew some concern, as I prepared to approach another sensitive conversation.

"So…you and Hikigaya-kun have some…interesting parents."

No reply.

"Though I do like their hospitality and sense of humor. They definitely feel more like family than my parents do." And that was the truth.

Still no response. I don't really mind talking by myself, but I could start to sense a little awkwardness creeping in.

"I mean, some of the conversation did get kind of—"

"Yukino-san, do you care about onii-chan?" I stopped. The subject change was so sudden it took me a few seconds to register her words.

"Komachi-san, of course I care about Hikigaya-kun, even if we do bicker a lot…I mean, we're all worried about him right now."

"But do you really care about him?" Now I was somewhat confused. Komachi-san, what do you mean by really caring for Hikigaya-kun. I looked at her, and she seemed troubled with something, her face locked with a serious and confused expression. It looked like she was mustering up courage to say something. But what exactly?

"Because…" Because what? She looked up, and I instantly recognized that expression. It was the same expression I saw at the café, the same one in the clubroom. I saw, for a split second, the faces of Yuigahama-san and Isshiki-san superimposed on Komachi-san, as if the previous two conversations merged with the present time. If that was correct, I would be expecting…no…wait…that's…t-that's not only impossible…that's…that's just wrong! Komachi-san can't be in love with Hikigaya-kun! I mean, not only is that the textbook definition of _incest_ , but also…no that's the most important issue right now! How in the world could Hikigaya-kun have seduced his own sister!? Does that explain his sis-con!? How is…what about…where…how…why…but…what…the…actual…fu—

"Because…because…" I must stop this!

"Stop!" she froze mid-sentence. "Komachi-san, before you continue, I just want to m-make something clear. I know it may hurt you, but I cannot support any relationship between you and Hikigaya-kun. It is just that I cannot seem to grasp the idea of you two…in that way…"

"Yukino-san! What the hell are you talking about! Me… in a relationship…with onii-chan!?" She made a disgusted look after realizing what I meant, and though I suddenly felt relief that this was not the case, I then was hit with a wall of embarrassment. "How c-could you think of something like t-that? O-onii-chan…and I…doing _that_!?"

"N-never mind! What were you going to say?" I was trying to regain my composure as Komachi-san shifted back.

"Well…because…I have a request." Eh?

"Before I bumped into you…I bumped into Yui-san, and I asked her about the same request. She declined, and she said she made the same request to you earlier. But I still have to ask you…"

"…"

"I want to go find onii-chan…can you and Yui-san help?"

"Komachi-san…"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry…it's just too dangerous to do something like that. We have…we have to trust the police to find him and bring him back. We just can't go out and find him ourselves…I'm sorry." As I finished, I felt a horrible feeling weigh down on me, getting heavier with every passing second. I couldn't tell how much longer I could take it…

Komachi-san sighed and attempted a smile. "I agree with you, Yukino-san. It is dangerous to go out…but I can't think of any other way." Her smile faltered. "Sorry for making you feel bad. It's just…" A single tear rolled down her cheek.

"Onii-chan…" With that, she burst into tears. "O-onii-chan…" She was sobbing now. I saw Yuigahama-san in tears, and then Isshiki-san, images of sorrow flashing before my eyes, hearing Komachi-san crying…I…I just…couldn't take it…anymore. I realized tears were rolling down my face. With the little bit of composure I had left…I slowly stood up and pushed in the chair.

"I'm s-sorry, Komachi-san. I have to go." I turned and walked towards the door. I was pretty sure she didn't hear me, but I couldn't think about now. I needed to leave. As I opened the door, I heard her parents start from upstairs.

"Yukinoshita-san? Komachi? Are you two—"

"Gomenasai!" I yelled, closing the door behind me. It was already dark outside. Things suddenly became a blur as I walked away. My legs kept picking up the pace, as I felt the now cold air brush past my face, stinging my eyes and my wet cheeks. I was now sprinting, letting my legs take me somewhere as my mind tried to salvage what was left.

I felt broken, cold, empty.

I was breathing heavily…ugh… my low stamina!

I stopped, panting like a dog, leaning against the building next to me. I was probably sprinting for a good five minutes.

I finally caught my breath, and I opened my eyes and looked around. What do you know, I was about a block away from my apartment.

I walked the rest of the way and stopped in front of the entrance.

I looked up.

The night sky was empty.

A cold wind rushed past me, stinging my face. It was getting colder…even though it was dark, I could sense a storm coming. It might even snow.

But that didn't matter. What mattered was that a certain someone has caused three…no four perfectly innocent girls to cry, created a massive police search, and turned the lives of many people around.

I felt another tear fall off my face, making a tiny spot on the sidewalk.

It's was your doing, Hikigaya-kun.

It was your fault.

And one more thing.

I will never forgive you.

* * *

 **[1][2]: Kyon and Haruhi from Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.**

 **A/N: Hey guys, that was chapter 4! Remember last year when I said updates were going to come in faster? Well, that plan didn't go so well, as expected. Also, now that Volume 12 is "in the works", I guess my roast in the last chapter has been negated, right? I think not! Since this story has been about how Yukinoshita has been wrong with everything, she's also wrong with Volume 12 not coming out, so she did technically predict a release in the future.**

 **BTW, it took me a long time to write 8man's parents into the story. I decided on Kyon and Haruhi since it would bring humor in to this very dramatic story. Also, Kyon's real name is never told in the light novel or its adaption, so it was a nice fit.**

 **Anyway, hope you guys like this chapter, more will be coming (hopefully) soon. Since I'm back in school, I might write faster after all. There is a little time-skip (not really long), and a change in perspective. See you "next week".**


	5. A Storm Ensues

Chapter 5: A Storm Ensues

* * *

 **Yuigahama POV**

I was sitting in the clubroom by myself, looking out the half-open window. A small breeze filled the room with a little feeling of spring…ah spring. Spring, simbolising (synbolising? Simbowlizing? Gah forget it), new life, a new beginning, perhaps a new relationsh…nevermind. Anyway, I look around the room, seeing nobody else except myself…wait, why am I the only one here?

Where's Yukinon? She's almost always in the clubroom, with…Hikki. The thought of this one dead-fish eyed boy already ruined the mood. Thanks Hikki. Why can't you like come back—

"Yo."

"Ehh?!"I spun around, almost falling off my chair. That voice…was that…Hikki?!

Wait, but there's still no one else in the room. My eyes scanned every corner of the clubroom, but no one was there. Where did the voice come from?

"H-Hikigaya-kun..." Another voice reached my ears, and it sounded like it was coming from outside the room. The other voice must have been Hikki! He's…he's back! I jumped out of my chair and started running for the door.

The second voice, the one calling for Hikki, sounded like…Yukinon! She found him! I slid open the door and headed in the direction of Hikki and Yukinon. I rounded the corner, and saw at the end of the hallway a shadow… that must be him!

"Hikki!" There was a smile on my face…and tears?

Why tears?

I guess…I'm happy to see Hikki again…because…because…gah I just want to see him first!

I was getting closer… I was almost there… just around this corner…

I turned and stopped as my eyes found him…it was him alright. His dead-fish eyes, his little ahoge on his messy hair… it was him. I opened my mouth to yell "Hikki!" with all my might, but I stopped. Yukinon was…there. The two of them were...really…close. Did I interrupt something? Well, it's a reunion of sorts, so we should all be celebrating right?

I started walking forward until I heard Yukinon's voice again.

"H-Hikigaya-kun…you…you really…"

"Em…uh…eto…y-yes." So I was interrupting something…woops. But, I'm still part of this!

"Hikki! Yukinon! Yahallo-"

"H-Hikigaya kun…" Yukinon completely ignored me! And so did Hikki! Whyyy?! I'm like standing a few feet away from them, so they could obviously see me… but it's like they can't see me. Mou…

"Y-Yukinoshita…" Hikki, Yukinon, I'm right here you know. My eyes must be playing tricks on me, since it looks like the both of them are moving even closer. That doesn't seem…they're actually moving closer.

But…this doesn't make sense. Hikki…Yukinon…we just got back together…and…you two are already…like that. I mean, I kinda had a feeling about this.

I just hoped that this feeling wasn't actually the real thing.

H-Hikki pulled back, both their faces glaring red. It looked like he noticed something…maybe he noticed me. I saw his face start to turn in my direction.

Then Yukinon brought her hand to his face and pulled him into another kiss.

Everything was blurry now, probably from the tears. It was getting darker.

I'm still here, you know…

…Hikki…

…Yukinon…

* * *

 **Yuigahama Residence: 3:14 AM**

"Heh?" I lifted my head, seeing darkness everywhere. I was on a bed…my bed. I looked at my clock: 3:14 AM.

It was a dream…no…a nightmare. I felt the wetness of my pillow. I had a feeling they were my tears.

It must have been a pretty scary nightmare…too bad I can't really remember.

Or maybe it's better not to remember… it might have been something really scary…like vampires or something like that…so tired.

I yawned and drifted back into sleep.

* * *

…Beep…Beep…Beep…

"Yui-chan, wake up! It's time to go to school…"

"Mou…" I turned off my alarm and stretched my arms. It's been a week since Hikki ran away, and things have been pretty weird. Everyone's still pretty shocked with Hikki running away like that… even Yumiko is a little worried. I haven't seen Yukinon as much after I stopped going to the clubroom, wait I didn't like leave her in the clubroom by herself. Hiratsuka-sensei told us that we should suspend the club for a while until things settle down, which I think makes sense, sort of. Anyway, when I saw her in the hallway, she seems more distant and cold now. Speaking of cold, it's sooooo cold outside! I mean, last week it was like getting all warmer and spring was almost here, but the day after Hikki left, it started snowing! It's like winter all over again! I'm already packed up my winter stuff in the closet, and I had to like take everything back out…the weather gods are pretty mean sometimes…After he was gone, everything just felt wrong...

"Yui-chan, are you thinking about Hikki now?"

"M-mom!" I felt my face turn burning red.

"Just get ready for school, Yui-chan. Hikki will probably come back soon."

"Mou…" My mom can be so embarrassing sometimes.

I'm walking to school now with my big fluffy coat I was going to put away for the year…oh I wish it would get warmer soon. I'm like walking through snow right now! Anyways, I turned around the corner and, like it was magic, Yukinon was there! I haven't talked to her in like forever…I mean, I tried to text her, but she seldom replies and when she does, it's only one word answers…

Yui: Yukinoonn! Yahallo!

Yukinon: Oh, Yuigahama-san, hello.

Yui: Mou…Yukinon's still so formal when texting?!

Yukinon: Yeah

Yui: Anyway, like what're you doing now? :)

Yukinon: Nothing much.

Yui: Anything funnn?

Yukinon: No…

Yui: Mou Yukinon this conversation's like making me bored.

Yui: Are you still there?

Yui: Yukinon?!

Yui: YUUUUKKKKIINNNNOOONNNN?

Yukinon: Sorry I have to go now.

"Yukinon! Yahallo!" I yelled as I caught up to her. She spun around, looking shocked, like some stranger was talking to her. Yukinon, I am no stranger! I'm like your best friend, you know. I think she finally recognized me, since she smiled a little and sighed.

"Ah, ohayou Yuigahama-san."

"Yukinon, we haven't talked for sooo long, it made me worry a little."

"Yeah, I know."

"So…how's it been?"

"Yeah."

"Oi, are you even listening to me?"

"Oh, sorry about that." She turned around and smiled, but I could kinda see that she wasn't really there. "Things are…going fine." Another bitter breeze rushed by, leaving both of us shivering.

"S-So cold" I managed to say, gripping my coat and scarf so I wouldn't freeze. "M-maybe we should talk once we get to school."

"G-Good idea." The rest of the walk to school was pretty quiet, except for the sound of my teeth chattering. So cold.

We arrived at school a few minutes early and parted ways once I got to my homeroom, Class 2-F. I slid open the door and saw the familiar faces in the room: Tobechi, Hayato, Hina.

"Hayato! Tobechi! Hina! Yahallo!"

"Oh, ohyaou Yui-san," Hayato greeted with his usual charismatic grin.

"Yo!" Tobechi chirped.

"Yui!" Hina exclaimed. "Oh my god, it's been like, forever, because of the snow and all, and the weather's all crazy all of a sudden, totally messing with everyone, you know, and…" And there goes Hina.

"Alright class, please take your seats, we're starting class now" Hiratsuka-sensei said as everyone shuffled back to their chairs.

After modern Japanese history, which I totally couldn't get, the bell rang for lunch. I was just about to leave the class when…

"Ah, Yuigahama, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Eh? Um sure sensei." Hiratsuka-sensei closed the door behind us and took a seat. Did I do something wrong today, cause Sensei doesn't look too happy…Sensei then sighed before starting.

"Yuigahama, you remember when I told both you and Yukinoshita that the club should be put on temporary leave while Hikigaya-kun is still…absent." Sensei's mentioning of…Hikki brought a small chill to my spine, but also a little warmth to my cheeks. "Well, it turns out that Yukinoshita has still been going to the clubroom."

"By herself?" I suddenly felt a sense of guilt on the inside. I mean, Yukinon's been going to the clubroom all by herself for over a week? I feel so bad for her…I should've checked the clubroom last week anyway…but why is she still going?

"I'm afraid so, and I acknowledge that it is my fault for not paying closer attention to this." Hiratsuka-sensei sighed again and shifted her chair. "It seems that Yukinoshita does not intend to stop attending club meetings, so I would like you to go today and see how she's doing, if that's okay with you."

"Yeah, that's fine with me." I was actually pretty fired up for the first time this week. I realized that I was subconsciously trying to ignore the issue, but I got it all figured out! And it only took me a week to do it. Take that Hikki! Mou, always calling me an airhead.

The rest of the day went by really quickly…like before I knew it, it was the end of the day. I don't even remember having lunch today…wait, did I have lunch today? Anyway, that does not matter now. What matters now is going to the clubroom and helping Yukinon out. I march straight out of the classroom in the direction of the clubroom. I know she needs me, and I need her just as much, so this is what I have to do. Go Yui! Let's do this—

Bonk!

Kyah! My head like totally hurts! What just happened?! Did I just walk into a wall or something? I opened my eyes, still trying to keep my balance, and see the wall right in front of me. I did walk straight into the wall during my motivational thinking! Mou…

Alright, focus, focus…how could I be so clumsy?

I slowly make my way towards the clubroom now, since my vision is still a little blurry. Since today's all cloudy from the snow, the hallways seem so much grayer and stuff, which doesn't help my eyesight. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spot two shadows at the end of the hallway towards the left. The clubroom was to the right, but I decided to glance towards the left as I got to the corner. I turn my head left to see two people…like…pretty close to each other. I couldn't make out their faces, but it seemed…familiar. Déjà vu, I think… I blink my eyes and my vision got a little clearer, but the two people disappeared.

Gah, that's like so scary! Is this school haunted or something?

Finally, I made it to the clubroom…and Yukinon's inside. This is the first time in a week since I've been in the clubroom, what am I going to do? Ok, I'll just talk about random nonsensical things like I always—wait, I can't do that this time. I gotta like do something about this problem. Alright, I can do this. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, and my inner me says "Go Yui!"

Thanks!

I open my eyes and slid open the door to see Yukinon sitting at her usual end of the table.

"Yukinon! Yahallo!" I chirped. I expected her to be totally surprised I was there, since I wasn't for a whole week. Then she would be all like "Why are you here" and I'll explain it to her, and everything will be back to flowers and sunshine, and …

And that did not happen. Mou…

Well, she did seem a little surprised, but for like the wrong reason! It looked like she was staring at me like some stranger, again! We've been over this Yukinon, I'm not a stranger! Then (again) she recognizes me, and proceeds to say "Ah, good afternoon Yuigahama-san" before returning to her light novel. That was like so anticlimactic, right? There's like so much to talk about Yukinon, y'know, about why you've been coming to club with nobody else and I suddenly pop in without telling you. I wouldn't say it's rude or anything, but…

Wait, something's totally not right. Rewind…

 _The rest of the day went by really quickly…_ nope too far.

 _Wait, something's totally not ri_ —mou… to recent.

" _Ah, good afternoon Yuigahama-san" before returning to her light nove_ —L-LIGHT NOVEL?!

Yukinon…light novel. Yukinon- Light novel. Yukinon DOES NOT READ LIGHT NOVELS! Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh?

"Yukinon… whatcha doin'?"

"Reading." My eye twitched a little bit.

"Whatcha readin'?"

"A light novel."

I walked over towards Yukinon and took a seat. "And why are you reading a light novel?"

"That is a good question, Yuigahama-san, which I believe I do not have a concrete answer for just yet."

"Eh…w-what's that supposed to mean?"

Yukinon looked up at me before giving a slight smile. "Simply, I don't know."

Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh?

My shock was replaced with curiosity as I tilted my head to see what she was reading:

 _My Teenage Romantic Comedy is Wrong, As Expected Vol. 12_ by Wataru Watari. **[1]**

"Yukinon, aren't those the type of books Hikki reads?" Oh no I said Hikki's name, I shouldn't have! Mou…

"Hmm, it is true Hikigaya-kun does take an interest in these…light novels, but I do not see a correlation between his interest and the fact that I am currently reading a light novel."

The world is upside down. Wait…

Gah! I like totally forgot that I was supposed to talk to her about something really important! I was so caught up with this light novel thing that I got distracted…but now I can ask her!

"Yukinon…why have you been coming to the Service club by yourself this week?" She looked up from her book, with a look of finally understanding why I was here today. It was like a look of surprise and confusion, which made me a little confused.

"Well…um…" She was really thinking right now. Like, I accept I'm not the smartest person, but I don't think this question really requires so much thinking. What really requires thinking is math. Like, why does Algebra II exist if Algebra I is already so difficult?

There was silence for a good minute while Yukinon thought about her response. Meanwhile, I was alternating between staring at her face and her light novel, which I still can't believe she is reading. Surprisingly, after all that time, I was the one who broke the silence.

"Yukinon, it's okay if you're coming to the club and all…" I started, looking at her blue eyes. "But since we're like really really good friends, it's nice if we stick together when one of us is having trouble." I then looked down at the table as a passing thought of Hikki flew by. "I think you'd agree that both of us have had enough trouble this week."

Yukinon was totally staring at me in shock. It's like she is in disbelief that I can speak such meaningful sentences. Mou, Yukinon that hurts my feelings! I can be meaningful too y'know!

It's always Yukinon and Hikki, poking at my airheaded personality. Well, it's really everyone, but mostly those two! Again, my mind gets all fuzzy as the thought of Hikki and Yukinon seems to ring a bell. I can almost remember it, like earlier when I was walking down the hallway, but it's just out of reach. Mou, this is soooo frustrating!

Alright, back to Yukinon. After a few seconds, her expression softened, and a little smile formed.

"Yuigahama-san, thank you for your kind words." She shifted a little before looking at me. "I don't know if I deserve to have a friend like you."

Yuuuukiinoooooon I want to hug so much right now! And that's exactly what I did.

"Yukinon!" I jumped out of my seat and hugged her. I wasn't really paying attention during the hug, so I was surprised when Yukinon was hugging back.

I felt happier, and I'm sure she did too.

If only this could last like forever…

"Yui-senpai! Yukino-senpai!" The door slammed open as a familiar peach-haired kouhai burst into the clubroom. Mou…Iroha-chan, we were in the middle of something very important!

"Eh-heh heh, I think I just interrupted something very important, woops." Iroha-chan says apologetically. I quickly separate myself from Yukinon and put on a slightly annoyed face.

"You sure did Iroha-chan." Then, I suddenly felt a little confused. "Eh? How'd you know both of us were here today?"

"Ah! Hiratsuka-sensei told me!" Hmm, I guess Sensei officially reopened the Service Club.

Well, I'm not complaining.

"Well, it seems as though the Service Club has resumed operations. Isshiki-san, have a seat." Yukinon waved her hand towards the empty seat in front of us. She like completely did a 180 in character, after all that happened. It's like that didn't even happen at all! Yukinon, you can be scary sometimes.

And with that, the Service Club is back!

"Alright Isshiki-san, does this request involve your responsibility as Student Council President?" Yukinon inquired.

"Eh? How'd you know already?!" Iroha-chan made a shocked face. Well, that's really the only reason why you come to the club anyway, so…

"Don't worry Iroha-chan, just tell us our next adventure!" I smiled with excitement. It's our first request in forever, so I'm psyched!

"Well, remember that Christmas collaboration event with Kaihin Sougou High?"

"Yeah! That was the time you had to plan that Christmas party, so you got Hikki—"

"That's right." Iroha-chan interrupted. She looked a little less comfortable after I mentioned Hikki. She glanced at Yukinon for a second, and Yukinon looked back. What? Alright, I'll keep talking then.

"The event was so awesome, well after me and Yukinon helped out. Trying to get Hikki to do everything, even he needs a break sometimes—"

"Yes, that event was a success for both schools, and I believe Isshiki-san is hinting at an event similar to that. Please continue." Eh, Yukinon too? Why are you two ganging up on me now? How rude…

"Alright, so as I was saying," Iroha-chan then started pouting. "The student council from that school wants to collaborate again for a graduation ceremony! I mean that sounds like a great idea and all, but that means a lot more work for our council, which means more work for me!"

"Which means more work for us" Yukinon replied. Iroha-chan nodded as I thought about what she just said. A graduation ceremony? That sounds cool, celebrating the seniors from both Chiba and Kaihin Sougou High.

"So, like, combining the two ceremonies into one giant celebration? That sounds difficult, but really fun!" I exclaimed.

"Right, Yui-senpai? They want things like fireworks and food and—"

"Fireworks? That's like totally awesome! Will they be as large as the ones at Destinyland?"

"Yeah! Those ones were huge! I remember it being so bright when…" Iroha-chan stopped, and I remembered what happened then. She confessed to Hayato at Destinyland, and was rejected. I feel bad for bringing it up now. Stupid Yui!

"Oh, um, sorry for bringing that up, I like forgot about that, but I'm sure you'll get to Hayato. Though I'm friends with Yumiko, I can see you…eh, Iroha-chan?" It seems as though my words made her even less comfortable, and now she was visibly sad.

"Heh, funny" she said, puzzling me even more.

"Um, Yuigahama-san, I think it would be more productive if we continue with the request at hand," Yukinon said, her expression unchanged. This seems to get Iroha-chan back, so thanks Yukinon! You're the best!

"Alright then! Will you accept my request then?" I looked at Yukinon, and when she looked back, I knew that we were in agreement. She tilted her head towards Iroha-chan, but didn't say anything. Oh, she wants me to say it!

"Iroha-chan," I started, before giving her two thumbs up, "you can count on us!"

"Thank you so much!" she replied with enthusiasm. I looked around the room, seeing both Iroha-chan and Yukinon happy about our upcoming request. This made me really happy too.

Maybe, just maybe, we could be happy even if Hikki wasn't there. Wherever he is, he probably wants us to be happy, since worrying about him so much would make us sad, and that would make him sad. Hikki, even though you're a jerk for leaving us…I can kinda see your demented logic, I think.

"Oh, I forgot one thing" Iroha-chan added. Both me and Yukinon faced her, and I saw Iroha-chan a little off.

"Yes, Isshiki-san, please continue."

"Since I thought this request would be a lot for us to do, I asked someone to help us." Oooh that sounds nice! But, would that make him Hikki 2.0?

Actually, no, nobody could replace Hikki that easily.

"So, who is this person?" I asked with curiosity. Yukinon also looked somewhat curious in this mysterious person who will save us from all this work!

Iroha-chan started, "He's…"

Yes?

"…Hayato Hayama."

I froze.

Number 1: Totally NOT Hikki 2.0

Number 2: Did the room like get ten degrees colder?

* * *

 **[1]: Wataru Watari, as mentioned in the previous chapter, is the author of the light novel series Oregairu.**

 **A/N: Well, there are many reasons why this chapter took five months to make. Mostly laziness, and lost inspiration. But let's put that in the past. Now to this chapter: it's awesome to write from Yui's perspective. So is roasting Wataru Watari. Sorry man, but the story's Wataru Watari released Volume 12 before this universe did.**

 **Also, you have to feel bad for Yui sometimes, she just doesn't know what's going on. Correction: nobody knows what's going on, except me.**

 **I can't say see you next week, since that would be an absolute which I can't guarantee. So I'll say see you soon.**


	6. How the Snow Once Melted Before

Chapter 6: How the Snow once Melted Before

* * *

 **Yukinoshita POV**

Hayama Hayato.

Second smartest student at Sobu High. Prince Charming, always nice to everybody he talks to. Studious, athletic, kind, talkative, perfect: this is the impression that most people get when they get to know Hayama-kun. However, I doubt that many of them can see past the surface and really know him. The process of seeing who Hayama-kun really is takes many years of interaction to acquire, which I unfortunately endured during my childhood. The fact that Hikigaya-kun, off all people, was able to notice the façade surprises me, or more like used to surprise me…he…enough of Hikigaya-kun anyway, as there are more pressing matters at hand and it is relatively safe to assume that he would rather us move on.

With Hayama-kun, his family and my family have been on relatively good terms, both being influential powers in the area. It was not a coincidence that both he and I were enrolled in the same schools both in Japan and abroad, not only that but in the same class as well. In elementary school, Hayama-kun was one of the only people I knew, so it was also not a coincidence that we were well acquainted and were on friendly terms. The first few years I always thought of him as a genuine prince, that his kindness and charisma were who he really was. However, I remember the one day in elementary school when my image of him was thoroughly shattered. We would usually eat lunch together on the swings while the rest of the kids were running around the equipment. I remember he was watching the other kids play, so I asked him if he wanted to go and join them. He turned around and looked at me with the same smiling face of his and replied.

"It's fine, I don't really want to play with them. To be honest, they're just a bunch of losers anyway".

From then on, I realized that his cheerfulness, his charisma around everyone else, was just a façade. However, I still stayed on good terms with him through elementary school and onto middle school. At times it was more out of habit than actual friendship, but at the time I didn't believe his character was a big deal, and besides friendships were not common. The rumors of Hayama-kun and I being a couple in middle school was not much of a strain on our "friendship", or at least on my end. I believe the point came a few months later, on the school's trip to Chiba summer camp.

* * *

Begin Flashback

Chiba, approximately three years ago.

It was almost the end of my 3rd year in middle school, and our school decided to go to an overnight trip to a camp in Chiba. Many of my fellow classmates were excited for the upcoming trip, chatting in the hallways and in the classroom about how much fun they'll have at camp. Although I did not particularly like the strenuous activities, I did have a generally favorable opinion of the trip, as I was looking forward to observing the forest. On the day before the trip, the group assignments were posted on the front blackboard, and I noticed that Hayama-kun and I were placed in separate groups, since the groups were divided by gender. Both he and I didn't mind the separation, though our parents were a different story. They seemed so angry, threatening to call school administration until onee-san and I figured out they were comically over-exaggerating. They gave us phones that would work in low signal areas, like the park, for emergency purposes. Hayama-kun and I agreed to the terms, though onee-san snickered at our parents' protectiveness.

Finally, the day of the trip arrived, and we boarded the buses. The girls in my group I knew did not really like me particularly, but they weren't the ones who blatantly bullied me, so I decided it wasn't bad. I planned that I would walk close to them but ignore their gossiping while quietly watching the nature around us. By the afternoon our groups were pretty far into the park, walking aimlessly along the paths. My eyes wandered around the scenery, catching whatever seemed interesting. I made such little noise that my group members probably didn't realize I was with them, which at the time didn't bother me.

Nyaa.

For a second, I thought I heard the sound of a cat behind me. I looked back at the dirt path behind me, but I didn't see any cat, which made me a little disappointed. For some reason, I've gotten to like cats more than the average person would, so I couldn't resist thinking about the chance of a stray cat out here in the woods. Then, I saw a small movement in the bushes about twenty feet behind us, so I took the opportunity to search for the possible stray cat. I crouched around the bush where I saw the movements before and started inspecting the surrounding areas for any signs of the cat. After a few minutes, I figured that the cat probably was gone, so I started heading back. I noticed that my group was gone, but I thought they must not be very far from here. So, I started jogging along the path, thinking about cats while waiting for any signs of my group up ahead. Before long I was exhausted, sweat starting to form on my head and my breathing reduced to panting. I knew my stamina was not anywhere near great, but I still didn't see my group ahead.

The final nail in the coffin occurred when I reached a crossroads leading in three separate directions. I stopped, letting the dust from my running flow past me. I came to the realization that I was thoroughly lost in a prefectural park. My first thoughts were mixed with hysteria and panic, but I quickly quelled these reactions and regained a sense of composure in order to assess my current situation. I reached for my purse and took out the phone my parents gave me, remembering their words before the trip. My heart dropped a little when I saw there was not much battery left, maybe only enough for one call. Calling Hayama-kun would be the most logical, since he could tell the teachers to help find me out here. So, I called Hayama-kun, who happened to be speed-dial number one. After a few rings, he picked up.

"Yukinoshita-san?"

"Hello, Hayama-kun…I may require your assistance at this time. You see, I'm currently lost in the park, and my group kind of left me behind." I thought about the ridiculousness of the situation, getting lost just because of a hypothetical stray cat…sounds

"What? Well that is definitely concerning…I'll tell the teacher once our group gets back to base and they'll find you, so just stay there until a teacher comes."

"Okay then." The phone suddenly went silent, so I brought my hand in front of me, and just as I had predicted, it was out of battery. I pulled my normal cell out of my purse and saw that although it still had battery, it had no signal. I sighed, placing both items back in my purse and taking out a half-empty water bottle to drink. It looks like I may be here for a while, so it would be logical to rest in the shade and wait for the adults to find me. Subsequently, I walked a little and found a shaded area where I decided to sit down and calm myself. I felt relatively comfortable, considering the predicament I found myself in, since I was relying on the assumption that help was on the way and I would make it back safely. The thought of being left here for longer than a few hours tried to reach my mind, but I thought about other things to avoid that topic for the sake of my sanity. Instead, I observed the forest around me, including the leaves rustling in the cool wind that relieved me of the dense and humid air. The afternoon sun slowly progressed towards the west, creating longer shadows and inciting a growing sense of concern in me. The wind was no longer a welcome sign, but now starting to send small chills down my spine, and the confidence I had in the teachers and people at the camp slowly transformed into doubt and worry. It has been five hours since I called Hayama-kun to send help, but there were no signs of human life within the vicinity of my location. I felt my stomach turn as the thought of being left behind indefinitely penetrated the mental barrier I created, sending more chills down my spine. Suddenly I realized the magnitude of this situation, as fear paralyzed me. My mind thought of hypothetical scenarios, like if the teachers had searched the wrong section of the park, or if my location was much farther than anyone expected. More alarming ideas were formed, but I tried to deny the possibility of Hayama-kun failing to tell the teachers that I was missing. Through all this I tried to regain composure, but I then realized that my vision was getting darker as the day was approaching sunset.

I cried. I couldn't remember the last time I truly cried, as the years of students picking at me have numbed my sense of negativity, avoiding tears if possible. In elementary school, I cried a few times when my shoes were always taken, but I learned to keep it to myself…but now I really felt afraid. I deduced that it wouldn't have taken this long for them to find me if they were alerted five hours ago…so that means Hayama-kun couldn't have told them until much later. The darkness quickly approaching meant it would become much harder to find me, so I started believing that I would be stuck here for the night, or maybe longer. I didn't realize my vision was blurry until I felt tears roll down my cheeks and onto the leather of my purse below me.

I was alone, crying, slowly accepting the notion that I might as well never see anyone else again, that this loneliness would stay with me forever. I had almost no belief in someone saving me at this point…but the thought still existed. Only if…

"Oi, you lost?"

A figure appeared out of the shadows, holding a flashlight in one hand and a map in the other. I jumped out of my muddled thoughts and rubbed my eyes to make sure it wasn't an illusion. The figure appeared to be around the same age as me, a middle school boy. I couldn't really see his face because of the approaching night and his flashlight shining at my eyes. I grabbed my purse and slowly got up, standing next to him now.

"Um…y-yeah…"

"Alright then…let's head back". He started walking down the path, with me a few feet behind him. A couple minutes later, I almost broke down when I blinked and thought he wasn't there anymore. He waited for me to regain my composure, and we continued the trek back to camp. This time, I made sure I didn't lose him…I held onto his sleeve for good measure. He wasn't the talkative type I assumed, and to be honest neither was I, but after a long silence between us we started talking about things to pass the time. He went to a different middle school, and he played tennis and swam in school. I asked him why he was alone, to which he chuckled and replied he ditched his group to walk around by himself. I contemplated how similar and yet how different the two of us were, and I couldn't help but smile a bit at the thought such a pair of individuals like us existing.

Before long the lights of the camp became visible in the distance, signaling a return to civilization and normal life. I told him my school was staying at the cabin up ahead and that I could walk the rest of the way there. He gave an unknown expression, and I realized that I was still holding onto the sleeve of his shirt. I must have exaggerated my reaction, pulling away with such fore, since in a few moments we were both laughing at what had just happened. We said our goodbyes and were about to go our separate ways before I realized I never asked his name.

"Hey, I don't believe I asked for your name yet…"

He stared at me for a few seconds, but no response. I assumed he wasn't well acquainted with sharing his name to complete strangers, and I do not blame him because I admittedly have the same introverted tendencies.

"It's okay, you don't have to say your full name if you don't want to," I added, thinking of a more suitable solution. "How about initials?"

To this, he seemed to have a more intense reaction to, shifting his feet a little and folding his arms. It must have been something I said, so maybe something similar was said to him that caused a negative experience. Of course, I never really knew…

"H."

I jumped a bit at his frank response, and looked at his face. The darkness of the night concealed most of his face, but I could discern a faint smile on his lips. I looked up at the night sky, admiring the stars usually covered by light pollution back in the city. A few seconds later, I remembered I never replied with my name. But before I could reply, he had disappeared. I figured I would probably not see him again, since his middle school usually doesn't feed into my predetermined high school: Sobu High.

H. Same as Hayama-kun, yet the two of them are on two different planets: one creating the perfect image of himself, the other staying true to his reserved character.

He saved me, but he also showed me that I shouldn't solely rely on people saving me anymore. Maybe someday, I could trust someone, like the mystery "H" man, to save me. Someday…

End Flashback.

* * *

I do not remember much about the trip other than that, so the story ends around there. Afterwards, I found I was distancing myself from the crowd, while Hayama-kun remained one of the most popular students at school. But that experience had such an impact … it was unfortunate I never really got the chance to thank him for saving me. Honestly, it may sound cliché for me to feel this way about it, but in a life where these events are rare if not non-existent, I cherish remembering this one time. I did make the mistake of recounting this event and handing it in as part of a summer assignment for entering Sobu High, so I hope that document stays unseen until the student body's records are returned, and even then it will be only seen by me.

Back to the present, where Isshiki-san just announced the person who will be "assisting" us for the end-of-year senior celebration. Obviously, this task requires much more planning and execution, encompassing the senior class of two high schools. However, it is not in the Service Club to only accept requests for anything below difficult. It is true we will require as much assistance as necessary, regardless of who the assistance will come from.

This would probably be the last request of the Service Club's first year of existence. The year had its ups and downs, especially over the last couple of weeks…but I just…want to end this year on a better note… with or without Hikigaya-kun.

"Isshiki-san…" I started, forming the first smile, albeit little, this entire week. "We welcome all the help we can get for this request." Isshiki-san's eyes lit up with excitement as the unexpected stillness of the room melted away. She winked, giving a thumbs up.

"Don't worry, we can all work together to make this celebration a success! See ya!" she exclaimed before excusing herself and lightly skipping out of the room, leaving Yuigahama-san and I for…whatever she does in lieu of her Student Council duties.

"Yukinon, you sure about this?" Yuigahama-san asked, seeming a bit worried about the upcoming endeavor.

"It's alright, we can do it just like all the other time…I'll be counting on you too" I replied, seeing Yuigahama-san start tearing up again, but this time with happiness. We resumed the tight embrace we were in before, but before long I couldn't resist speaking a thought I had in mind.

"Though I'll leave the cooking-related duties to someone else"

"Mou! You still don't have faith in me yet Yukinon?!" she pouted. Maybe things were looking up.

* * *

 **A/N: Welcome back to another chapter…4 weeks instead of 4 months is an improvement I suppose. It's a short chapter too (3k) similar to the first two chapters, but lots of description in lieu of dialogue. This flashback chapter is meaningful in a sense… might be a little obvious though. Watch out for Yukinoshita's essay; another puzzle piece in the mystery.**

 **See ya soon.**


	7. More Hands, Less Progress

Chapter 7: More Hands, Less Progress

* * *

Yukinoshita POV

I woke up to the familiar tune of my alarm clock. Comically, I found I would sleep through any alarm clock I set…unless the clock played Pan-san. Since I've lived in my own apartment, there was no reason to feel any sort of embarrassment. As I got out of bed, I felt like there was something I had to do today that felt different from the past week…but I couldn't put a finger on it…

Right, service club.

Today was the first meeting between Sobu and Kaihin Sougou High to plan for the graduation festival. To be honest, the project was an uphill climb, considering just the logistical problems that would most certainly arise from hosting two senior classes for one giant event. In terms of location, both committees agreed beforehand to hold the event at Sobu, since our school had the size to host the event. This was a logical decision, but it also meant that Sobu's student council will have to bear the heavier load in order to pull off the festival. I would say that the reopening of the Service Club was definitely a welcoming favor for Isshiki-san and the student council, especially after what occurred the last time around. It is in the best interest of both schools that these next few meetings are as productive as possible and without any of that roundabout nonsense.

With a clear objective for today's meeting in mind, I got out of bed and prepared for the day ahead, school bag and all. After leaving my apartment, I walked the usual path towards the school, filtering out the mundane information around me while focusing on the task ahead.

I'm pretty confident that Yuigahama-san, Isshiki-san, Hayama-kun, and I will be able to hold our ground and somehow complete this project, but with all the bizarre occurrences recently, I'd like to stay cautious about this.

Honestly, I couldn't pay attention in class with all these thoughts racing through my mind. The festival, the still absent Hikigaya-kun, all drawing my eyes away from… Japanese history? I guess I wasn't missing too much then.

* * *

After school:

"Yahallo Yukinon!"

"Hello, Yuigahama-san." I looked over to her as we prepared to leave school for the meeting. She always has that bubbly smile on her face, and today we needed all the motivation required to get through the next few hours. Isshiki-san and Hayama-kun would be waiting for us downstairs, so we both exited the clubroom and headed towards the exit.

Honestly, I was somewhat optimistic about the upcoming project, although this seems a little out of my character. The service club has been a sort of social experience that I enjoyed for most of the year, meeting Yuigahama-san and...even Hikigaya-kun. Through it all, I felt closer as an individual towards the people around me, something I probably wouldn't have done without the right set of conditions. The service club successfully fulfilled these conditions, and I have no words to explain how I am...grateful… of being part of this club.

"Yahallo Iroha-chan, Hayato-kun!"

"Yukino-senpai and Yui-senpai!"

"Hello Yuigahama-san, Yukinoshita-san"

"Good afternoon Isshiki-san, Hayama-kun"

After the short greetings, we headed towards Kaihin Sougou High.

A chill breeze brushed past us, reminding me that even though spring was supposed to be blooming in Chiba, that winter still refused to leave just yet. The trees were still bare, flowerless branches, and the night still felt bitter. On top of all of this, the snowfall from last week still remains in dirty brown clumps along the edges of the street, no longer an admirable spectacle but more of a pain to the eyes. However, I knew that beneath that ugly layer of dirt-caked ice was an untouched sheet of clean snow, pure and tranquil. I didn't really know how, but I've felt many things in life were akin to this pile of snow, seemingly rotten because of its outside, but beneath the surface is a totally different view… maybe my name had something to do with it. Besides, this statement holds true in certain cases, like a certain rotten-eyed loner. I mean, he probably is the epitome of this example, his outward personality making him one of the most hated characters in school. Everything about him, from his rotten eyes to his tired posture reeks with his loner status.

But still...underneath the surface, part of him most people don't know about is revealed. His ways of helping people, albeit twisted and self-harming, ultimately have good intentions. The only person he's really directly harmed in his entire career at the service club was himself, and he perfectly knew that. People may have seen this as masochism or ultimate pessimism, but I found it selfless of him to do so...not that it matters anymore.

He's gone, and that's the end of it. It's the best that we move on and start again, with the service club, with school, with everything… that's what he wanted.

But why do I still feel in the wrong about this? It's almost as if…

"Yukinoshita!"

I stopped in my tracks, seeing myself about to cross a busy intersection, right into oncoming traffic. Someone saved me from an inevitable collision with an automobile...but it couldn't have been him. He's not here.

But I heard him.

"Yukinon! Are you okay!?" Yuigahama-san yelled from about ten feet behind me, where the rest of the group apparently was. I must have unconsciously walked in front of them.

"Yukinoshita-san, thankfully you didn't get hurt. We weren't paying attention after Isshiki-san dropped her phone on the sidewalk."

"Oi, it wasn't my fault...Yui-senpai wanted to show me something and the phone slipped out of my hands! Yukino-senpai, I saw you stop like right before you were on the street, but none of us called to you. That was like so lucky!"

"But, I did hear someone call my name." I was as puzzled as ever now…

"Well, it must have been an inner voice of yours, and you're lucky it saved you today." Hayama-kun replied.

So it was in my head...his voice...I was saved again…

"Oi, Yukinon...let's keep going! We're almost at the meeting place...um are we?"

"You're right Yui-senpai! The school's just a few more blocks. Let's go Yukino-senpai!"

Without further thought, I walked along with the other three to the front steps of the school campus, and so began the first of several meetings.

We finally made it to the meeting room after climbing too many flights of stairs to reach the fourth floor of the school. While Hayama-kun, Yuigahama-san, and Isshiki-san were practically unfazed by the journey, I felt my head starting to spin before steadying my balance on the sliding door. As nobody noticed, I politely knock on the glass before sliding the door open, revealing the members of the Kaihin Sougou student council. The rest of our student council was already there, so that makes us the final piece of the puzzle to start the talks.

On one side of the room sat the Kaihin Sougou student council, led by intelligent but quite loquacious Tamanawa- kun. Next to him was Hikigaya-kun's former classmate Orimoto-san. Judging the looks of our student council, it seems that they may still have some residual PTSD from the previous joint-meetings for the Christmas celebration. I do not blame them, since it took a lot of effort with both the council and the service club to cut the "logistical" bull out of the meetings.

"Alright, we're glad to have everyone back together for this monumental project." Tamanawa-kun starts, signalling the start of the joint meeting. "Now, since we have a limited amount of time to prepare for the festival, I believe we should work as efficiently and effectively as possible to ensure the success of our venture."

"Agreed." one of their members chimed in. "Therefore, we should create a detailed outline of what we need to avoid any tangents in the future and so we can streamline the process straight from the beginning."

"Excellent point. The outline will allow us to focus on the important aspects, so let's discuss these points and how we can bilaterally approach this. Any starting points?"

"Well, setting a definitive theme to go well with a farewell-type event would build a positive vibe and help create a more appealing event for all students to find."

"That is a very interesting point, someone please write this down so we have a running list to rely on in further meetings.

"Noted."

"Fantastic, keep this going."

I felt a tap on my right shoulder, so I turned to see Yuigahama-san with that look on her face, the same one from the first meeting for the Christmas celebration. I leaned in as she whispered in my ear. "Ne, Yukinon… it's like the Christmas thing all over again right?"

I nodded. Right from the get go, things were already starting off on the wrong foot. At this rate, I doubt the committee would finish the job by our years graduation, or even Isshiki-san's. It was time for an efficient intervention, so I quickly raised my hand to speak next.

"Eh… Yukinoshita-san"

And the room suddenly falls silent. Surprising how one meeting in the past made such an impact on both student councils.

"I understand that a detailed list would be good for listing everything out for a long term project, but our time constraint requires a more direct approach. I recommend skipping a general what we could do list and get to the core parts of the task: entertainment, food, fireworks, budget. That's how we'll hopefully pull through."

I scanned the room, noting a vast majority of students nodding in agreement; even Tamanawa-kun showed an expression of hesitant approval. Yuigahama-san was trying to control her excitement of this little "victory", and Isshiki-san sighed in relief.

"A-Alright, thank you Yukinoshita-san for your input. I agree our limited time may require us to just nail the basic points and directly address the task ahead-"

"On the contrary," a male voice sounded, giving me a slight pang of worry as I recognize his voice. The voice belonged to Hayama-kun, and I suspect he was on the verge of countering my direct manifesto.

"I do not see a point to really rush to the finish line, since the end goal is to give the seniors the best farewell festival our schools can produce. There is still a good number of weeks before the date of the festival, so a plan on what to accomplish for our meetings and for the graduation festival will ensure a quality outcome."

While the rest of the room processed his answer with increasing approval, Isshiki-san, Yuigahama-san, and I sat there in shock. It took a few seconds for our council to realize the effect of Hayama-kun's proposal, after which their enthusiasm morphed into worry.

Why-why would he even conceive of that idea? I believe Isshiki-san informed him about how "effective" this council is at these types of projects, so he should be fully aware of the consequences his proposal will cause. If Hikigaya-kun were here, I'm sure he'd take no time to rebuke his words and find some twisted combination of words his rotten brain concocts to somehow influence the meeting in the right direction. Hayama-kun does the exact opposite; he forms an eloquent speech which sounds like a good idea but in reality brings the meeting to a standstill…

And in no time, Tamanawa-kun jumps on the opportunity. "Excellent point Hayama-kun, we'll start formulating new points after a quick ten minute break." As the other students gradually shuffled around the room, Yuigahama-san and I rushed outside to politely discuss the current situation.

And Yuigahama-san spared no ounce of politeness in her rendition of today's events.

"Yukinoooooon, what are we GOING TO DO!? To be honest, I have nothing against Hayato-kun, but he kinda messed like the whole thing up!" I agree, Yuigahama-san.

"Well, we can't do much about what already happened, so we just have to keep pushing the meetings forward."

"Mou….this wouldn't have happened if Hikki"

"We can't do anything about that _either, Yuigahama-san._ If we can't bring him back, there's _no point in talking about it"._ I noticed Yuigahama-san staring at me with a scared expression, so I immediately wiped whatever expression I had on my face.

"Yukinon…"

"I'm...I'm sorry Yuigahama-san." I suddenly felt a pang of guilt for venting on her. "I didn't mean to be so cold right now. I guess it's still sensitive." Why was I acting this way though… it's not like I've been as down as Yuigahama-san or Isshiki-san about everything. "Let's just go back and get this thing back on track."

That should take our minds off these trivial matters, looking at the future rather than back at the past.

"We can do it, Yuigahama-san."

It'll get better.

"Okay Yukinon."

But I hope I'm not lying to her or to myself.

* * *

I stand corrected.

"Okay, I believe that has been a very productive meeting. Not only have we completed our overall plan for the project, but we have gotten into some crucial aspects and hammered them down. Good job guys."

A moment of hesitant silence, before a forced round of applause, meaning everyone knows these meetings are going nowhere.

That is meetings with an s, because it has been two weeks and three meetings since planning began. Yuigahama-san has been slowly losing her sanity at each meeting, and so has Isshiki-san. Hayama-kun has been as useful in the council as a fork is for eating cereal.

I excused myself from the room and found a place to sit down the hallway. You could say I felt tired, defeated, strained, worried, more or less all of the above. There was really nothing that I could think of that would rescue this Titanic-type mission… it was really past the point of frustration.

On the verge of tears, a part of me gave some empty comforting statements. Sometimes it's okay if this fails, failure isn't the end of the world. Maybe it does take a godsend to get something like this done. I shouldn't blame myself or anyone for failure….especially myself, even though I feel I could've done more.

"Yukinoshita-san?"

I turned to see a familiar third year student, the former student council president to be exact: Shiromeguri-senpai.

"Shiromeguri-senpai? Why are you here?"

She chuckled and gave a warm smile. "To help you guys, of course."

With what?

"With the festival, silly. You guys seem to be in a little trouble with all the planning, so I thought that I could be of use."

"But… how did you hear of the senior festival? We haven't contacted anyone about actually preparing for the event since we're so far behind."

"Oh, Hi-Hi-Hiratsuka-sensei, she told me about it." Of course Sensei knew when even the service club needed assistance. Was this a sort of wisdom that comes from age? Perhaps. Of course I wouldn't dare to say this out loud after witnessing her abuse of Hikigaya-kun after his comments about her age.

"Anyways, let's head to the council." Shiromeguri-senpai chimed as she began to walk down the hall. It was almost dream-like...how everything might be okay again.

At the door, Shiromeguri-senpai turned and smiled at me again before sliding the door open. The room became quiet and I heard a few excited gasps, mostly likely from a revived Yuigahama-san. I made my way past Shiromeguri-senpai towards my seat next to our council, and I was pretty spot on in my assumption. Our council was pretty ecstatic.

"Good afternoon, I would like to formally introduced myself as Shiromeguri Meguri, former president of the Sobu High student council and leaving 3rd year. I've heard of your plans to host a senior farewell festival in a week, so I would like to do everything I can to help you guys make this a huge success. Of course I want my friends and classmates to have this nice festival, so let's get to work!"

A round of applause from our council, which steadily spread across the room, converting into cheering and motivation not seen for the duration of the project. I never thought this day would come. I looked over at Yuigahama-san, who was pretty much bouncing off the walls in excitement. Isshiki-san and Hayama-kun were trying to calm her down, but they were both visibly happy about this set of good news.

"It seems that things have gotten better." I spun around to see Shiromeguri-senpai accompanied by another woman, older, still singl-better stop there- none other than Hiratsuka-sensei.

I walked over to her in order to officially thank her for bringing an end to this nightmarish ride. "Sensei, thank you for bringing Shiromeguri-senpai to help us with the festival preparations."

For a second, her expression looked as though she didn't register what I've said to her, but she quickly replied. "Oh yes that… Ne Yukinoshita-san, I'd like you to come with me now."

In the commotion of voices behind me, I believed Sensei may have said something about accompanying her somewhere, but that was highly unlikely. "Sorry, I believe I misheard you, but did you say you would like me to accompany you somewhere?"

"That is correct." Her tone implied this was not a light-hearted matter.

"Why so sudden, could this wait until tomorrow?"

"I believe this may be important to you, so let's go."

* * *

 **A/N: Well, I'm back. 2 months is too long… basically all of summer summed up in no inspiration. But this chapter is really a lead into something bigger. The drama (or not), suspense, feels,** _ **romance,**_ **everything. This next chapter will be a big one, that's all I have to say. See you later.**


	8. The Truth that Lies Beneath the Snow

Chapter 8: The Truth that Lies Beneath the Snow

 **Yukinoshita POV**

* * *

"I believe this may be important to you, so let's go." Before a second thought, Hiratsuka-sensei whisked me away from the room, down the stairs, and eventually out of the building. I silently gave my apologies to the group as I faintly heard Yuigahama-san start asking where I was. Scratch that, Yuigahama-san was probably starting to freak out that I was no longer in the vicinity, and with all that has been happening over the past few weeks, something like this would definitely not sit well with someone like her. In order to clear up any more confusion, I pulled out my phone to text her that I was leaving with Hiratsuka-sensei.

Yukino: Hiratsuka-sensei asked me to accompany her. I will see you at school tomorrow.

A few seconds later, a notification popped up on my phone.

Yui: Okayyyyyy :):):):):):):):)333

Yuigahama-san and her limitless capacity for understanding and cheerfulness.

Parked in front of the school was Hiratsuka-sensei's car, a red convertible most people would find very sporty and somewhat intimidating on the road. This was probably one of the reasons why she hasn't found a steady partner yet, not including her tendencies to smoke and lash out violently against people who annoy her and hint at her single status...well I am safe as long as these thoughts are within the realm of my mind and do not make it to my vocal chords.

Oblivious to my inner thoughts, Hiratsuka-sensei unlocked the car and walked to the other side of the car towards the driver's seat. I followed suit, opening the passenger side door and taking a seat. Closing the door, I hoped Shiromeguri-senpai was the key that the two councils needed to make the farewell festival as success, though I was pretty certain the former student council president had more than enough experience and motivation to get it done. Besides, it is her festival too.

Not long after she asked me to come with her, we were speeding across the city to a place I have not yet asked her about.

"Sensei, where are we going?"

"Back to school," she replied, shifting into a higher gear as we passed a row of yellow lights. After a moment of awkward silence, Hiratsuka-sensei asked a question out of the blue. "So, Yukinoshita-san, how have you been lately?"

Heh? "Sensei, I'm not sure whether this question really has much to do with our current situation."

Hiratsuka-sensei smiled. "'Hmm...is it not appropriate that a teacher ask a student about his or her well-being? I mean, that is part of my responsibility as a teacher." She got me on that point.

"Well, I believe I have been doing quite well over the past few weeks, even with such unfortunate events occurring. I feel Yuigahama-san and Isshiki-san have been doing better lately, especially with the re-opening of the service club."

"That is true, the service club has made some things easier to bear," Hiratsuka-sensei replied. "Though I am a little surprised how well you have been taking things so far, knowing how close you guys are with Hikigaya-kun. It seems Yuigahama-san had a more… expected reaction I suppose."

I felt confusion and slight irritation at the same time. Knowing Hiratsuka-sensei, she wouldn't make a comment as such without having some sound logic behind her, yet I'm having trouble trying to decipher her words. "Sorry, but I'm not really sure what you're hitting at."

"Ah, never mind. It probably is just in your character to stay calm and collected in these types of situations." I felt as though she was trying to hint at something I couldn't understand yet, and it would not seem appropriate to dig any deeper into this until a later point in time. Therefore, the most I could really do is sit back and try to relax...unfortunately going almost highway speed on the busy streets of Chiba does little to help my cause.

Seriously, the speed we were approaching in the city would make racecar drivers feel uncertain.

"Sensei, if this trip is not a genuine emergency, I do not believe driving at this speed in a densely populated area is justified nor… very comfortable."

"Oh, this is the comfortable part of this whole trip in my mind." I made no visible reaction, yet I felt a small shiver run down my spine… what could possibly be more uncomfortable than riding in Hiratsuka-sensei's car? I could only speculate of what was to come when we arrived at Sobu High… maybe-

"We're here." As expected, an unpleasant situation arrives before I have time to think of anything. Well, it won't be much time before this is over I presume. And I've been through multiple unpleasant situations, more than I would have hoped occurring over the past few weeks. I won't let myself down this time either. I exit Hiratsuka-sensei's car and follow her into the school. It was close to sunset, the reds and oranges of the sky appearing in spots the clouds weren't occupying.

We round the corner, up the stairs, across a hallway, towards a place I was still uncertain of. It wasn't the clubroom, nor the faculty office, nor her homeroom, so where...oh. We stopped in front of door, and the room title said it all.

Office of Student Records. Test scores, essays, student report cards, and anything recorded on paper about any student can be found here. It was the storage vault of all student information, and probably the least visited room in the school.

This room has been off limits to students since the school was built, so I was wondering what Hiratsuka-sensei was trying to accomplish in bringing me here. There are certain rumors about previous students attempting to enter the room, but no one has been able to enter successfully, only increasing my confusion over Hiratsuka-sensei's reasoning. Ultimately, there was only one way to find out for certain, as she unlocked the room and allowed me to pass the threshold into a place probably no student has ever stepped in before. "So… what are we doing here?"

"Well, for starters, help me organize these folders. One of the new teachers messed it up and I was assigned to fix it up."

Wait...is this the only reason why I was brought here, in order to help a teacher with her responsibility with no benefit to myself? I believe I am quite selfless in helping others, especially through the service club, but I'm certainly not a charity. Before continuing any further, I cross my arms and gave Hiratsuka-sensei a look that most people would translate as "Really?" It seems she understands my expression of confusion and irritation and was quick to reply.

"Don't worry Yukinoshita-san, this isn't the only reason why you're here. I'll show you the reason why I brought you here if you help me sort this out."

Fair enough. Grudgingly yet dutifully, I assisted Hiratsuka-sensei with sorting out folders in alphabetical order. Most names I saw were unfamiliar, but a few I recognized: Ebina-san, Miura-san, Kawasaki-san, Totsuka-san, all mixed together...the new teacher must have really screwed up when dealing with hundreds of student files. It took us a good twenty minutes to reorder the files in its standard position, though it felt like more than two hours in that room. I sat on one of the chairs in the room, already somewhat tired from the physical task of moving folders, as most people already know about my less than ideal stamina. Hiratsuka-sensei sighed as the last of the files were put in place, turning around to me with a face of satisfaction.

"Well, that's all done now...I guess now you deserve to see why I really brought you here. You now know that all the files are organized by alphabetical order." She started walking down to the end of the row, stopping towards the end and starting to peruse the files. "For example, here are the Y's, and one of these files…" slowly raising one folder in particular, "...is yours."

She brought the folder over to the table, its label distinctly written : Yukinoshita Yukino. Now, these folders were pretty thick, and heavy in my opinion, since they contain every collected document related to a particular student, even homework assignments. "Yukinoshita-san, I assume it's common sense to believe that everything in your folder is about you...your grades, your essays, your report cards." She let me look through my folder, and I nonchalantly flip through pages as I silently confirm that all these documents are mine. However, I noticed a pink post-it note stuck in between two pages, logically where an assignment should be. Written on the note sparked more confusion in my mind:

Summer Writing Assignment: See Hikigaya, H.

"Ah, you see the note in there... specifically, that assignment was given in your first year, a creative writing assignment I believe." Hiratsuka-sensei walked back to the cabinet, this time toward the front third of the files, again looking at the names before plucking another thick folder. By logical reasoning, she would have chose Hikigaya-kun's folder, which is proven correct as the folder is laid down before me: Hikigaya Hachiman. But, why would a writing assignment I wrote have anything to do with Hikigaya-kun's folder?

"Sensei, is there by any chance an error in having my assignment in Hikigaya-kun's folder?" She smiled at my question, then shaked her head in response.

"Well, it is possible for a mistake to occur in this giant mess of student documents, but this one here is an exception." She opened Hikigaya-kun's folder, and I couldn't help but notice the grades in his folder as she flipped through. The grades were mostly about average, some subjects higher than others, while essays receiving disgracefully low scores. I heard a tiny giggle escape my mouth as I noticed he received a zero on a question simply asking "what is your favorite ice cream flavor", as it lines up perfectly with his character. Hiratsuka-sensei stopped in between two pages, revealing another note attached to a paper-clipped bundle of papers. The written note was again to the point: Summer Writing Assignment - Includes Yukinoshita Y.

"But Sensei, you haven't explained why this assignment is in his folder."

"I'll get there," she replied, taking out the papers and the note. She hands me the papers, I assume to read them, and I immediately recognize the essay she was talking about. This paper was the summer assignment I wrote about the trip to Chiba summer camp back in middle school, the time I became lost...and was saved...it was an embarrassing story, and seeing it again made my face heat up a little. "That essay of yours really was something...but what became interesting later on was after we collected all the essays to organize them. We had to check to see if everyone's story was unique, so no one copied someone else's work."

I had no idea where this was going, but for some reason I felt tense after looking at the paper-clip attached to this wad of papers, meaning my paper was combined with another essay. It couldn't have been…

"However, when we found Hikigaya-kun's essay and compared it to yours, it wasn't plagiarism, but in fact two accounts of a similar story."

"Similar story?" I asked, finding my voice somewhat weaker than before. I remove the paper clip, separating the essays into two, now with my essay with one hand and his essay in the other. I put down my essay and stare at the other now, noticing his name scratched onto the paper in his usual handwriting. Following the prompt of "Creative Writing Assignment" was his response:

 _This is probably the only time I will try on a writing assignment just for the sake of documenting an event that is marginally more important than what happens on a daily basis in my life. The fact that the story revolving around a person I will probably never meet ever again also makes it easier to write about, as you will find out in future years my effort will only reflect what I believe is necessary to graduate from this school, no more. This is the only exception._

 _The story starts around the end of my third year in middle school, though the time really doesn't matter...it is about an overnight trip to some camp...which I do not really know why a school would waste taxpayer dollars on this sort of "fun" activity. Scratch that, multiple schools also attended this camp, so our district wasn't the only one in this trap. Anyways…_

The story continued, again written in the same manner only expected from a rotten-eyed loner, but my eyes couldn't stop reading, almost in disbelief. Then it hit me.

 _In the woods, almost out of nowhere, I see this girl, sitting on the rocks. Long black hair, curled into a ball, looking scared as hell…._

No...this whole time…

 _She probably couldn't have seen me in the darkness, but I could see her pretty well._

My head started spinning, as if the world revealed a secret I wasn't supposed to know.

 _In fact, I never told her my name, and vice versa, but I did give her my initial "H"...ironic how it didn't matter which initial it was._

I couldn't believe it...of all the infinite possibilities that could have occurred…

 _Although it probably doesn't matter to me anymore, it still might have a semblance of importance to her…_

...even when I didn't know him yet…

 _I probably did save her…_

...he saved me.

My heart kept thumping while the rest of my body remained motionless, the paper Hikigaya-kun wrote almost two years ago still in my right hand, which refuses to let go. I could no longer read the words on the paper, realizing my hand was shaking under the pretense of trying to release my grip. My mind couldn't process anything anymore: everything in the world froze over, except for myself and this piece of paper...this...fact that...that Hikigaya-kun was always…

...there to save someone.

"Yukinoshita-san...Yukinoshita-san?"

I look up to see Hiratsuka-sensei staring back at me, her face full of worry. "Just take it easy and relax…I was hoping to show this to you and Hikigaya-kun later on… though I guess that didn't really work out after all...I'm sorry if this is hard on you or anything."

"Hikigaya-kun…" I could only manage to say his name out loud. My hand finally reacted to all the shaking, releasing the papers, letting them fall onto the table, though the last page incidentally flipped over, revealing a sort of postscript.

 _In fact, I admit that I lied on one occasion in this assignment. I originally believed that this person of interest would never be seen by my rotten eyes again...but that simply turned out to be false. I believe after I entered Sobu High a few weeks late, I noticed one girl who was identical to the girl I saved: Yukinoshita Yukino. Chances are that's the last time I'll see her as the girl I saved in middle school...she's just a stranger and it'll be like we never met before. Of course, there's the less than zero percent chance this won't be the last time...and for one time in my life, I'll put a bet on the latter..._

 _If I'm correct on this, that's Hachiman: 1, Society and all its trash: 0._

He even recognized me...it's almost too much bear.

"Sorry, Sensei...I think I'll have to go now." I managed, picking up the papers and placing them back in the folder before standing up. Before Hiratsuka-sensei could stop me, I walked out of the room, in the general direction of the school entrance. I didn't feel like talking to anyone...I just want to go home and just...think...because right now my mind can't process even the simple tasks.

Bump.

Like not walking into walls and the like. Not long after, I found myself at the school entrance...with a familiar car parked next to Hiratsuka-sensei's car.

"Yukino-chan!" an awfully familiar voice came from ahead...revealing herself as Nee-san: Yukinoshita Haruno.

* * *

 **Hiratsuka POV**

Seeing Yukinoshita-san leave like that obviously did not sit well in my stomach, almost to the point where I felt I shouldn't have brought her here in the first place. However, I had a gut feeling this was the best for her...otherwise things would have ended up like the proposed festival: stuck in gridlock.

There was nothing else important in Yukinoshita-san's folder, so I pick it up and place it back in the filing cabinet. Hikigaya-kun's folder, however, still laid open in front of me as I made my way back to the table, showing both essays side by side. It did feel like more than just a coincidence, how two students sharing a similar past meeting again in this type of situation: almost cut out of some shounen manga.

There was a very high chance those two wouldn't have crossed paths in high school or in life, as I'm certain both of their introverted personalities makes contact out of the classroom basically impossible. Then the service club came in play.

Now, it definitely wasn't my doing bringing them together; I was going to force Hikigaya-kun into the club either way, and Yukinoshita-san was there already. So that was the only coincidence in this.

Fate? Destiny? Perhaps.

But as I look at the folder in front of me, I noticed one paper not...complete. Not blank, but literally a whole chunk of paper cut out of the page. Inspecting more closely, I take note of the assignment's prompt:

Assignment: Write a letter of what you would say if you were to run away from home.

The assignment is tied to a novel required by the school to read. How...interesting….

This only confirms my suspicion of something more than a simple runaway from home. One, Hikigaya-kun has no way to access this room, and his character limits him from any attempt to do so. This idea couldn't have been his, as a plan as sophisticated as this would've required much work.

 _To work is to lose_ , he would say. Which means..

Someone else is in play here.

I realized that I lied to Yukinoshita-san...more like withheld the truth from her. Teachers had access to the room, but one exception was to the valedictorian of the school, who is given a master key after graduation. Although the valedictorian isn't told about the access to this room, most are intelligent enough to figure it out.

I'm also surprised Yukinoshita-san was not aware of this before. She'll know eventually, since she is on track to be her year's valedictorian.

I sighed while closing the folder. But that means the Yukinoshita family would own two master keys…

* * *

 **Yukinoshita POV**

"Yukino-chan, long time no see!" Nee-san sat beside me in the family limousine, her usual artificial cheerfulness as prominent as ever. But even with her sitting right next to me, she felt so distant, as does everything else in the world. The streets felt faded of color, sounds less distinct, muddled with the torrent of thoughts in my mind. But even my thoughts are drowned out by the beating of my heart...it hasn't stopped since I left that room...

Why do I feel this way? I...I...need to calm down.

"Yukino-chan, are you listening to your onee-chan? Or is there _someone_ _else_ on your mind?"

Snapping back to reality, I felt of flash of warmth sear my face... _Yukino stop blushing!_

"O-of course not, you've known me for seventeen years, so you should be aware of what I usually think about and what doesn't."

"Oooh, cold and calculated as always...but something seems a bit off, don't you say?" A smile formed on her lips, her eyes narrowing just a bit. I would normally come back with a quick attack to end the conversation, yet my voice failed to project a coherent response.

"Yukinoshita-sama, we have arrived at our destination." Specifically, in front of my apartment.

"Yukino-chan, you wouldn't mind me staying by for a bit...it is so cold outside, so I'll make some tea for you. Maybe that will bring that voice of yours back." Before I could protest, we were both inside the building, towards my place.

Fast forward ten minutes, and I'm sitting on my own couch while Nee-san prepares tea in the kitchen. On a normal occasion, I would be the one preparing the tea, yet she insisted so I could regain my composure. She always knew which buttons to push: it must have been a natural gift, like the inhuman amount of logic a certain-nevermind. I had to move on, since my sanity for the next hour depended on it.

She finally came back with cups of steaming tea, which I drank in hopes of calming my nerves. The next few minutes I spent in peace and tranquility, free of disturbance, just me and my cup of tea against the worl-

"Eh...I made tea and you haven't started a conversation with me yet? How rude...:"

Rude? Says the woman currently in my apartment, technically uninvited…

"Nee-san, I believe the quiet was helping my situation…"

"Ah! I see your voice is back… I was starting to worry" she replied as she moved forward, studying my face. "So...how have you been lately?"

What a familiar question. Was she spying on me during my time with Hiratsuka-sensei?

"As expected, quite normal." Which was basically the truth.

"Heh...I could tell you're lying." She leaned in, uncomfortably close now. "Or maybe you haven't realized the truth yet...ever since someone decided to make such a tragic departure…"

Nee-san, not now…

"I see you haven't been talking about Hikigaya-kun lately...trying to stay strong for your friends right?"

"I-I mean, looking forward and staying composed did help…"

"Yukino-chan… do you seriously believe concealing your feelings does any good for your friends?" I felt her attacks starting to wear down my tolerance...it would be easy for me to let out a generous amount of bitterness, or even anger...though I believed I held a higher…

"No wonder he left." I stopped, registering what my sister concocted in her mind before spitting it out in the form of words.

"What?" I asked, my eyes staring daggers, trying to hold back a torrent of remarks dying to lash out at this individual smiling in front of me.

"Well...I bet you haven't noticed how much Hikigaya-kun knows about you, compared to how little you know about him. He recognized you from the beginning, 'the girl on the rocks'-"

"How did you know that...", my former emotions evaporated, replaced by a quickened heart beat.

"Ooh...that did hit some heart strings I believe. Shizuka and I had an interesting conversation some time ago, and I gathered some relevant information, that's all. But this isn't the problem you should be worried about."

She gave a serious expression now, her eyes turning cold.

"You seriously haven't considered who might have been responsible for Hikigaya-kun's disappearance..."

"Nee-san...there is no one to blame for what happened… not even himself. I don't even believe this conversation is even going anywhere…" But even as these words escape my mouth, I feel my confidence in them deteriorating with each passing second. The steam rising from my tea couldn't mask my increasingly worried expression.

"I see you committing to denial now...a little late for that don't you think?" Wait...you couldn't actually be considering that.

"You must be kidding… a cruel joke to be nice about it…"

"Oh, I'm dead serious." She paused. "Hikigaya-kun preaches with his soul how _to work is to lose_ , but who seems to be giving him the most amount of work?"

"No one in particul-"

"Who is on the receiving end of the effort he gives?"

"No…"

"Whose _burden_ is he sharing when he's in the Service club?"

"No...no…"

"Who always needs to be _**saved**_?"

"..." Shuddering, I had to grit my teeth to control myself...but that control had been slowly fading away. I felt my hair come down over my face, which I didn't feel like fixing. The only thing I could manage now was preventing a waterfall from pouring down my cheeks. Crying would mean admitting total defeat to my sister….and I wasn't in the position to do that.

A splattering sound disrupted my broken train of thought, as I realized I was spilling my cup of tea on the floor. My hand kept shaking even as I used my other hand to stabilized the tea cup, causing Nee-san to show an amused expression.

"Hmm….I see you've come to terms with what I'm saying...honestly you have to feel for him a little. I always thought of him as the selfless type, but people do have limits." She let out a cold laugh before continuing. "It was only a matter of time."

"I...I"

"But really it's not entirely your responsibility I suppose. No one gave poor Hikigaya-kun a reason to stay. I believe it wouldn't take much to keep him here...perhaps just the truth is enough."

I kept quiet, just waiting for her to run out of things to say before calling it a night.

"Yui-chan had put the Service club before everything else… so at least she had a reason."

"I do feel bad for Iroha-chan...she was only a day too late."

My mind flashed back to a few weeks ago, sitting at the cafe with Isshiki-san and hearing her...confession...the tears on her face while I explained to her the fate of her "senpai", all while trying not to show my emotions.

"How did you. .." was all I could sat before choking again.

"A friend of mine was fortunate enough to witness the event add it unfolded, though she didn't know Iroha-chan so it's of no worry to you." With every word, a feeling of hatred and bitterness welled up to my tongue.

"If only any of you would have shown something _genuine_ … maybe I could have said something to postpone his departure, but that would have played well for the fox and not y-"

"Go." Nee-san froze, both of us entangled in a staring match I knew I wouldn't win. Therefore, I mustered the strength to continue.

"Just, leave me alone, Nee-san."

After a couple more seconds of dead silence, she sighed. "Alright." She grabbed her things and began to leave, but before she made it to the door, she turned. "Hmm...giving your own Nee-san the boot do quickly? Well, technically I was uninvited…"

"But Hikigaya-kun was an uninvited part of your life, remember that Yukino-chan. G'night!"

With that, she was out the door.

I waited a couple of minutes to make sure she was actually gone before moving again. Since most of my tea was spilled, I retrieved a towel from the kitchen and wiped up the mess. I then refilled my cup and sat back down. My apartment felt much more at ease with one less individual present. Now, just a cup of calming tea and myself against the world...with the senior festival coming up, things are going in a positive direction. Sure, it did take a little help from Shiromeguri-senpai, but things did work out in the end, even in a world without Hikigaya-kun.

I noticed a drop on the floor-clumsy me, must have spilled some tea again. If Hikigaya-kun were here, he'd really be surprised and ask whether I lost my hand eye coordination-

Strange. A few more drops appeared on the floor...there must be a leak in my tea cup, which is alright since I have a spare in the kitchen…

Wait. My tea cup was on the table in front of me the whole time...then those droplets are…

I placed a hand towards my face, feeling the wetness of my cheeks, realizing with clarity the situation before me.

But...why was I crying? Logically, it doesn't...oh.

 _Logically._ One of Hikigaya-kun's 108 loner skills...logic. Why would he be the source of my tears? Why would...those pair of rotten eyes...the monster of logic...I just can't find the answer to that.

Now, I don't even think his rotten brain could find what's the matter with me… it's all in my head, so it wouldn't help if he were here as some sort of twisted psychiatrist-

Suddenly, I could feel a stream of tears come down my face, now forming small dots on my school uniform.

I...I think I get it now. It's the absence of Hikigaya-kun that gets me, because...I don't want him gone anymore.

Not able to hold it anymore, I let myself sob, as my mind releases the floodgates of emotions bottled up. It's not only that he saved me so many times...anyone can do that...it's just his nature...his contrasting personality between a sadistic loner and a kindhearted friend...I never even acknowledged him as a friend, I admit. I never realized how much I relied on him, whether in the Service club or would never mind, and...and…

That's why...no matter how hard I tried to deny it…

...I couldn't help falling in love with him.

I thought about a few moments over the past year where I had a feeling this was the case, where I somehow harbored feelings for him. I think back to the time he falsely confessed to Ebina-san for Tobe-san to realize she wasn't ready for any relationship yet. Even though I knew it was a staged confession, I still remember the blood draining from my face, my heart almost stopping as I felt a mix of new emotions I only recognized afterwards, long after I scolded Hikigaya-kun for his act. Then, my mind flashed to the Valentine's day event, baking cookies with everyone...making a batch of cookies for Hikigaya-kun...but I wasn't able to give them to him anyway. I felt devastated the days following the event, over how I couldn't hand them over even as a friend. I must have been holding back because of my consideration for others, but not myself. Which brings me to the one moment I believed brought me to my senses, even for just a couple of seconds...back during the marathon in the infirmary. I remember cleaning up his knee after he fell during the race, thinking to myself how much of a klutz he was. I looked up to his face, almost an exact reflection of my own, surprised at the lack of distance between our faces...I couldn't figure out why my face flushed...but something in me wanted to close the distance. A part of me so desperately desired to stare into his eyes forever...because I was in love with him. For a moment, just a moment, I felt nothing but his and my breath mixing in the small space between us...the sun warmly shining from the window, time slowing down. But I knew I couldn't, since I noticed before someone possibly behind that infirmary door. I held back...but I felt resistance trying to pull back. Instead, my head started tilting forwards, closer to him, unable to control myself as I was lost in his tiny yet not so rotten eyes.

 _If I kissed him...right here...he wouldn't have to save me anymore...because I would be by his side, out of danger...I wouldn't feel bad relying on him anymore...if I could be a little selfish just for a second…_

 _Maybe...maybe he could love me back-_

At that moment, he pulled away, as he must have realized the precarious situation at hand. The opportunity slipped away...fading into darkness. I now find myself back in my,apartment, staring out the window. My hand was over my face, the tip of my finger resting on my lips. I suddenly felt cold again, the warmth of that sunset replaced with the cold tears, still rolling down my cheeks to my chin, some tears making it down my arm, and I broke into sobs again.

I've imagined how I could cope without him, a future without his help, and everything was alright. Objectively, as he would have seen in his mind, the world would continue to move with no hesitation. Except for my world, frozen over, incapable of moving. I never factored my feelings...my...my emotions into a decent coping mechanism, how I would continue to love him, now more than ever in fact. Even in this room, I imagined him sitting by my side...the only warmth in this hell frozen over.

 _By my side...something that might not have happened even if he stayed...how pathetic…_

I knew I was broken. My mind was shattered in a million pieces, yet no one could pick it back up, only someone who couldn't come back. Still shaking, I make my way to the window, leaning against the cold glass, looking out into the darkness of the city, a city of no more importance anymore, to me at least. Through my puffy eyes, I focus the remains of my attention around a figure below, leaning against a streetlight, alone in the night. Tiny puffs of white floated around his face...it was freezing. I imagined him as Hikigaya-kun, perhaps waiting for someone to meet him… a place to stay...a home to go to. In the madness of my situation, I convinced myself to go outside to see for myself, so he could save me one more time. I didn't need a jacket, not a scarf neither...I just wanted to see him. As I exited my apartment, I started walking faster, then faster, rounding the steps down to the entrance at a full sprint. _Maybe..maybe it was him, Hikigaya-kun, waiting for me to find him...and I would never leave his side again…_

I started laughing at my own craziness, yet I kept believing that when I broke through the glass doors, he would be waiting across the street...that he would be back…

I rounded the last corner...pushing through the doors, a rush of white temporarily obstructing my vision. It cleared in seconds...and I noticed I was the only one outside.

No figure, no white, not a trace of of a human being. I was panting, bracing myself as the freezing air stung my lungs and throat. My tears, still flowing, felt hot against my cheeks, against the sub freezing temperature. It must have been a figure of my imagination...a false hope. I notice the top of my head colder than usual, realizing it was indeed snowing, a bitter wet snow that started covering the streets.

I was an idiot to come outside at this time, but I couldn't find the strength to move back in. I stayed...as something inside me wanted to scream out.

"Why…" I found my voice one more time. "Why...in such a cruel world...am I still here…"

"Idiot….idiot…." I repeated.

"Stupid!"

"Diwit!"

"Hachiman-"

My knees buckled, and I crumpled onto the sidewalk. The world spinning around me as my hands grasped the snow covered concrete, I sobbed.

"H-Hikigaya-kun…" I felt less cold just from saying his name, but it hurt that eventually I would feel the cold again, that I would have to return to the world again, even though I resisted.

"H-Hikigaya-kun…" _there was nothing left, so saying anything didn't really matter...but…_

"I'm sorry…" I raised my voice in the darkness of the night, the snowfall intensifying.

"I'm sorry I...I…" my voice hitched, but I kept trying.

"I...I'm sorry I'm in love with you...Hikigaya-kun!"

My body shook, as the last of my strength exited in the form of a high pitched scream, as I kneel forward to accept the futility of my efforts. It was a dead end.

"Hikigaya-kun…"

* * *

 **A/N: What's up guys...as promised this one was a big one...6k words, the biggest chapter by far. But it isn't the amount of words, rather the amount of feels. And the mind-blowing moments… (more where that came from in the next chapter)...but more feels. And a confession! For this story… the end is in the distance but still there… but still at least 3+ chapters to come! Also, after this story (don't panic), I have another idea in the works (perhaps Yui?), so I just want to thank you guys for your continued support and reviews. Prepare for a multiple points of view in the next chapter! Hold on guys and see ya soon.**


	9. The Truth Retold Is Wrong As I Expected

Chapter 9: The Truth Retold is Wrong As I Expected

* * *

 **Yuigahama POV, Kaihin Sougou High Meeting Room**

Oh..my god. When Shiromeguri-senpai walked in the meeting room and declared her support for the project, my insides literally exploded in excitement. We're saved! The senior festival is going to happen with success! I could see the excitement of our student council, mostly led by me jumping up and down. Even Yukinon looked pleased that things may as well be looking positive from today on forward. I turned around to face Iroha-chan and Hayato, and both of them seemed happy too, now that a once inevitably doomed project has been saved from disaster by none other than the former student council president! The past few weeks have been pretty uncomfortable, and I was beginning to worry that we weren't going to make it by the deadline next week.

Actually, I was probably freaking out on day one...let me see…

" _Yukinooon….what are we going to do?!"_

" _Yukinooooooon!"_

" _Mou….."_

Yep, that was me. But I can't help it when everything was going downhill in the first ten minutes, especially when I was so passionate about this request from the very beginning. I mean, this was the first request we got for some time, and it'll be the last request for Yukinon and I as 2nd years. It's surprising, that it's been almost one year since I joined Yukinon and Hikki as part of the service club, though I still vividly remember ask the fun times we had over the months...the summer camping trip, the cultural festival, the Christmas festival, the sports festival, the trip to Destinyland… it was all so much fun.

Though, I still feel a bit of sadness that things won't be the same anymore now that Hikki is gone. I'd be lying if I said I'm already over this whole thing, that I have completely moved on in life...which is expected, since it's been only a few weeks, not even a full month. Though, I do believe that things have been getting slightly better as everyone adjusted to the fact he's gone for...maybe it's still a sensitive issue. I know Yukinon is dealing with it surprisingly well after the talks we had over the past few weeks, and Iroha-chan's doing just fine after the first few days...I still wonder what made her so upset the first couple of days after I left with Hayato and Yumiko in the café. Anyways, the students at Sobu have taken the news pretty seriously...must have hit home for some people as for some magical reason Hikki's reputation had been slowly losing its rotten qualities.

Actually, it's not magical, just a little help from the people who know him, as in his true character. Aw...now I feel like he should really come back.

Y'know, I still have a little hope that someday Hikki will find it in himself to show up again, as his logic will tell him that leaving us would have a negative impact on our feelings...eventually. For now, that hope is small, like a little birthday candle in a giant room, but it's there to stay.

I turn around again, realizing that the space that once occupied Yukinon has been suddenly vacated, meaning she was no longer in the room. In all the excitement of the good news, Yukinon must have left...but she was right next to me so I should have noticed it.

"Yukinonn?" I shouted in the meeting room even though I knew she was not in the room. ...where was she?

Then, my phone vibrated in my pocket, causing me to take it out and check. It was Yukinon!

Yukinon: Hiratsuka-sensei asked me to accompany her. I will see you at school tomorrow.

Oh that makes sense! Well, whatever Sensei has to do with Yukinon is alright with me, so I'll leave it at that. So, I quickly replied:

Okayyyyyy :):):):):):):) 3 3 3

Now that this situation was cleared up, I felt at ease that everything to come was going to go smoothly and happily...for once at least. Gee...I know something wrong always happens when events like this happen this way, but a girl has to hope sometime. Same goes with Hikki coming back...he just might.

Eh...why's Hayato giving me that look again… I mean to anybody else it looks like any happy expression between friends, but I can see he looks sympathetic, like he feels bad for me of something? Did I look that hopeless or something?!

"Yui, you feeling okay?" Hm, I must have looked totally weird at that moment.

"Yeah! I'm totally fine! Don't worry so much about it, we gotta celebrate!" And with that I returned to my former bubbly state of happiness and, to be honest, oblivious mindset, which I'll explain later. After most of the excitement settled down, with the help of Shiromeguri-senpai and Hayato, the meeting went over a few points that actually made sense for once, so the meeting was called a success and "adjourned" (I think it means closed, but I'm not entirely sure). I got my belongings and walked with Iroha-chan and Hayato outside. Once into the evening street, it seems that both Iroha had just noticed something, because she just started looking around like a crazy person.

"Eh? Where's Yukino-senpai?" Heh, Iroha-chan, you just noticed like right now that Yukinon left? I guess I'll break the news to her then.

"Oh, Yukinoshita-san left earlier, I believe with Hiratsuka-sensei...I'm not sure why though, but I think she'll be fine."

Alright, Hayato can break the news the her then. Wait… did I ever tell Hayato about Yukinon leaving, because even I didn't know that she left with Sensei until she texted me….does Hayato have superhuman powers?

"Hayato, how'd you know she left with Sensei? I didn't see her and I only knew after Yukinon texted me."

"Well...I saw Hiratsuka-sensei's car pass by and noticed Yukinoshita not there anymore, so I just connected the dots."

Woah...Hayato figuring out just because of those little facts...hm maybe I'm a little jealous but that doesn't really matter. Another chill breeze swept by us, and now I'm starting to feel cold just standing around and stuff. I think I'll head home now, before I catch a cold and get babied by my mom again. Also, I would leave Iroha-chan and Hayato together, which is great for Iroha...I mean it's not good for Yumiko, but then it;s good for the group, cause we all want to stay friends...ooh I love how my brain works sometimes XD.

"Alright, I'm gonna head home now, so see ya tomorrow!" We said goodbyes and I headed in the opposite direction of the two, heading towards my humble home. My shoes made a steady rhythm on the concrete sidewalk as I passed block after block, the light getter slightly fainter as the day slowly turned into night. And while the world around me became darker, I started to think deeply...hey I'm fully capable of thinking deeply, even though I'm considered a sort of airhead at times, but that's not the point!

My thoughts mostly centered around Yukinon, because even though I've seen her constantly on top of things and doing her best staying calm and collected through all of this, I could kinda see something not alright happening. I'm perceptive in that way, y'know cause I've been with Yukinon for almost a year and I can see when she's acting normally and when she's really trying to just act. It's like when you do something pretty bad at home and you try to act innocent to your parents; they just know but they go along with it until you realize that they know you did it.

Like, I could tell Yukinon's hurting on the inside the whole time… they only thing is I can't tell how much she's hurting because she's such a good actress at concealing her feelings from everyone. Yet, beyond all the "facades" she puts up (thanks to Hikki I learned a new word), there's someone who's scared and needs help. Ironically, I feel like I'm part of the problem as well, but that requires an explanation. Even though I'm academically hopeless in some ways, I can pick up all the social signs and hints from like a mile away, so I knew from the start that Yukinon has feelings for Hikki. When?...probably from the start of the Service Club. On the surface, it always looks like two incompatible opposites bickering about little things, but Yukinon seems to enjoy these conversations more often than not. It became like super obvious whenever Hikki decided to commit social suicide again, cause she would always look hurt even though she wasn't the one getting hammered by peers. That's when I could confirm it, but the story's not over. It gets worse when she knows that I had feelings for Hikki as well, since I wasn't so discreet about it either. That's a fault on my part, so that's why I feel bad for her since I know that she knows that I know about this whole situation….woah that's confusing. Since she knows that I know that she knows about my feelings for him, she's been cautious about getting closer to him, and this only frustrates me and puts me in a difficult situation. I love Yukinon so much, but I also love Hikki, but above all I love the Service club, and I can't keep any of them without breaking the other two. I know she's in the exact same situation as I am, yet she's trying to take it in a collected manner while Hikki's gone and I'm just clueless.

I kicked a small pebble across the sidewalk in my frustration over this dilemma… what was I gonna do about it? I really want to help Yukinon through all of this, but I just don't know how, or when, or where, or what, or…I think you get the picture. I continued to think deeply until my nose almost crashed into my front door, so I got my keys out and opened it, returning to the warmth and homeliness of home. My mom was in the kitchen making dinner, so I took off my coat and boots and plopped myself on a chair, still thinking.

"Ah, you're back Yui-chan. How was the meeting? Hopefully you guys made some progress on the graduation festival?"

"Huh? Yeah…" I replied, passively watching the space in front of me as my mom placed a steaming cup of tea near my face.

"Heh...I thought you'd be more excited now that Shiromeguri-san is helping out."

This caught my attention. "Mom, how'd you know Shiromeguri-senpai's helping us?"

"Oh, Hiratsuka-sensei called earlier." _Called? Sensei? Whaat?_

"Why'd Sensei call you?" Seriously, Sensei never calls someone unless it's (A) her mom or (B) a potential date. And I'm _really_ sure neither option applies to Mom.

"Well, she checked to see if you were home yet, explaining about how she picked up Yukinon for some school-related thing. She also said that Yukinon's feeling down and that it'd be nice if you talked to her about it."

Mou...that's the last thing I want to do right now. I mean, I really want to help Yukinon right now, but I just don't know how….

"Hmm...what's wrong? You're usually more than excited to help out Yukinon." Ah...she's right about that, oh why do moms have to be so sharp about these things? She like totally understands me and everything.

"Well that's because I'm your mom and moms know everything." I suddenly realized I've been talking out loud.

"Did I say that out loud?"

"Yes, just like Hikki does." I blushed a little, so embarrassing. "But in all sincerity, it's because I was a teenager too, and when I was your age I felt the same emotions you're probably feeling right now, so I understand the confusion and frustration you must be going through. It's okay to be confused, since that's all a part of life, though it's better to have people with you to help solve your problems. And even if the problem doesn't physically go away, you feel better having company anyway, right?"

She sat down beside me, lifting my head up from the table and smiling. "I don't really know what's happening with you and Yukinon, but I can tell she needs a friend like you to talk to. Even if it doesn't clear everything up, she'll probably feel much better seeing you than just being by herself right now. Right now, you're probably the closest person to her, so you have a special responsibility to be with her and provide comfort, since that is what best friends do."

I felt tears starting to well up, knowing that my mom was so right...she was the best. I hugged her really tight, feeling the warmth of the embrace calm my nerves and let me relax. My mom, even though she's pretty embarrassing at times, is one of the greatest moms in the history of the universe!

"Thanks Mom," I finally replied, removing myself from the tight embrace in order to straighten myself up. "I know I gotta find Yukinon and talk to her, though I'm not sure how to approach the whole thing...it's kinda intimidating going up to her alone, especially when she's feeling down…" Which was totally true...I would probably fall into a nervous wreck trying to get to Yukinon, and we'd probably fall asleep before anything meaningful comes in any sort of conversation.

"Hmm… I see your dilemma." Mom thinked a little bit before showing signs of an answer. "Well, who said you had to do it all alone? You have friends that care about Yukinon too, so bringing one of 'em along wouldn't hurt, right?"

That's….genius! This is why moms are so great, since they always know the answer...our maybe it's just my mom who's so smart. Why can't I be as smart as her….mou….

But seriously, bringing someone with me is definitely a good idea...but who? Sure, I do have many friends, but anyone who cares as much as I do for Yukinon narrows it down to zero. Ok, maybe someone who does care but not to the level I do, but still a lot. There are a few people who fit the category, I think? Well it'll be a girl to girl problem, so perhaps….maybe….

Iroha-chan! Of course, she cares about Yukinon enough to help me help her out. She literally spends more time with us in the service club than at student council anyway, so she's a basically part of us. It'll work out perfectly!

Wait, but I have to talk to her first about it so we could make up a plan of action. I checked the time on the clock, aww it's already half past six, which means I'll miss dinner. Well, I could talk with Iroha-chan at a café so we're full and ready to take on Yukinon and her sadness.

"Ok, is it okay that I go now and bring Iroha-chan with me to see Yukinon? I'll grab something to eat with her before we head to Yukinon's apartment." My mom pondered for like less than a second before replying.

"You do whatever you can to help your friend. I'm rooting for you Yui-chan."

Awwwww….."Thanks so much, I won't be out too late!" I was already grabbing my coat and putting my boots on when Mom spoke up.

"It's fine, you can sleep over with Yukinon if you feel that's better. And don't worry about me...I figured you would want to go out, so I only made dinner for myself...teehee."

Whaaaaa she already kinda knew I was going to leave for Yukinon from the start? Too clever!

But there's no time to think any more about that, since I'm on a mission now to help her. I waved to my mom and closed the door, entering the cold once again. I started walking in the direction of the café we were at a few weeks ago, since I think that would be a good meeting place before we head to Yukinon's apartment. The café's where most of the shops were anyways so I wouldn't get lost I think. As I neared the bookstore, I think I'm forgetting to do something pretty important...what could that be...oh. Woops...forgot to tell Iroha-chan about the whole thing! I grabbed my phone from my pocket, finding Iroha's contact and pressing the call button. I kept walking, watching my two feet move in and out of my field of vision as my phone dialed her number.

Ring….ring….come on Iroha-chan, pick up!

Ring…

Ring…

"Hello?"

* * *

 **Iroha POV, Kaihin Sougou High Main Entrance**

I see Yui-senpai start walking in the opposite direction, leaving me and Hayato-senpai alone in front of the high school. I couldn't help but laugh on the inside at Yui-senpai's effort to pair Hayato-senpai with me at this time, since she doesn't know about my true intentions. I can't help that, cause I have been pretty discreet about it, so I wouldn't expect someone like her to figure it out anytime soon. Only Yukino-senpai knows, since I told her matter-of-factly a few weeks ago...it felt so long ago...and at times it feels like I was at the café only yesterday. Ugh...that's so cliché, but seriously that's how I feel.

Not long after Yui-senpai left, Hayato-senpai and I parted ways to head home. Of course I talked to him about little things; I wasn't some anti-social loner who would leave a perfectly normal student like Hayato-senpai in silence. Though I felt less obligated when we headed our separate paths home...usually I didn't feel this sense of obligation to socialize, and I have a central culprit over who made me this way.

And he's the same person I fell in love with.

It definitely wasn't all the times he "confessed" to me, though I had to agree that both he and I were being foxy about it. Mostly me to be honest. It didn't make sense at first; for most of the year, I was so certain that Hayato-senpai was the guy for me. I mean, he's smart, talented, charming, all the things a kouhai like me would want in a guy. And then Senpai comes along, literally the opposite of Hayato-senpai in every single way, gets me voted in as Student Council President….and in the process stole my heart.

Sometimes it still doesn't make sense; Senpai's cold, lazy, anti-social, crude, dark...why would I go for someone like him? He had one thing going from the start: he was genuine. Something Hayato-senpai just wasn't, and he knew it. Maybe that's how I unknowingly gravitated towards Senpai...he and I had pretty similar goals in life, which would lead to certain financial problems if that road was crossed...but that doesn't matter really. The thing was Senpai's character was so true to himself, no matter how twisted, came out as a guy who helped people in ways nobody could ever compete. And they were genuine intentions. In all honesty, that's the difference between my feelings for Hayato-senpai then and Senpai...even now; I had a crush for Hayato-senpai, but I felt love for Senpai.

I guess that's really how life works sometimes. People come into life, they change themselves, they change you, and they leave. And sometimes you wish that you never met the person in the first place since before you know it, you're hurting on the inside. It's a sad notion, yet a true one.

Hm...that's enough philosophy for today, just needed to think a little before returning to being someone I may not truly be, but still a part of me. Besides, I had some time to kill before heading home, so I think I'll go and check out some shops down the street. So, I decided to spend the rest of the night walking around the city, returning home to a warm dinner, did some homework, and went to bed to end another somewhat normal yet underwhelming day in life.

Or not. I made it about half an hour into walking by the shops. Clothing stores, mostly, seeing the displays...reminding me I'm gonna have to wear something nice for the graduation festival. Have to impress the graduating class as Student Council President, right? Believing I have time on the weekend to pick out something, I continued my stroll down, passing down a bookstore which I...well only very infrequently visit. Hey, I have a pretty busy life myself, so reading comes at a price literally and time-wise. Anyway, glancing at the front windows, I couldn't help but notice the posters advertising some light novel. Mostly because there were a dozen other large posters covering the whole front of the store. I stopped to see what kind of book would get so much attention: "My Teenage Romantic Comedy is Wrong As I Expected" by Wataru Watashi **[1]**. I heard from Senpai before he hit the road that he was interested in that series. Ironically, it came out around the same time he left. I wondered why Senpai is so interested in this type of….strange literature, but I felt definitively against reading it. So, you know what I do?

I buy the book. I don't know why, or how, but before I realized it I was back outside holding a copy of this light novel...and I feel stupid. I was probably getting tired, so heading back home would be a good idea before I buy anything else and go broke. However, just as I was about to turn home when my phone started ringing. I checked the contact, saying it's from Yui-senpai. Huh...what would Yui-senpai be calling me for? Hmm...maybe she felt bad for leaving me with Hayato-senpai at the school, or...whatever, let me just pick up and ask her.

"Hello?"

"Iroha-chan! Yahallo!" Strange, was I hearing double?

"Hey Yui-senpai! Um...you need anything right now?"

"Oh-yes! I-"

At that moment, I felt something crash into me from behind, sending me tumbling onto the ground. Oof! Well, since I was wearing a winter coat, the concrete sidewalk didn't really hurt me, but whatever crashed onto me knocked the air out of my lungs. I somehow managed to roll around so I could see the sky again, and I slowly got back to a sitting position to see what-or instead who bumped into me. Once I got a look at her coral hair and phone in her hand, I figured out pretty quickly that it was Yui-senpai herself. She also seemed to recognize me around the same time, showing a look of shock before giving a face that says "sorry."

"Eh..heheh...woops!" she said. "I didn't see you there while I was calling you."

I smiled at her, replying "That's alright. What were you saying earlier?"

"Oh! Come with me!" Well, I didn't react fast enough before Yui-senpai got a hold of my arm and started dragging me in the direction of...the café? I mean...I guess that works out, since it seems neither of us had anything to eat since school. For once, good thinking Yui-senpai. We entered the familiar café through the front doors, finding a booth by the front windows. I think we were sitting at the table behind Yui-senpai a few weeks ago, when...events occurred when Yukino-senpai and I were here. I still felt a tingling sensation when the thought of him surfaces...somehow...but back to the present. After ordering drinks and something to eat, we both started staring at each other patiently, though I was beginning to wonder when Yui-senpai will bring up the point of this impromptu meeting. It took a good thirty seconds before a there was a flash in her eyes like she remembered what she was supposed to say.

"Okay Iroha-chan! I remember what I was going to tell you now!" See what I mean? "So...you've noticed Yukinon acting kinda strangely lately?"

I thought about it. It was true Yukinon was not 100%, but she seemed within the realm of her character. "Well, she may seem a little off, but I didn't notice too much."

"Well, Sensei said she's been pretty down ever since Hikki disappeared...and...well… it does make some sense when you put the pieces together…" Okay, now Yui-senpai has stopped making sense.

"Um...pieces? What's with Yukino-senpai and this whole pieces thing?" I just needed a little more elaboration, that's all. Nevertheless, Yui-senpai give me this look like I'm some clueless idiot. Look who's talking!

"Iroha-chan, haven't you noticed this whole year about Yukinon and Hikki?"

"Um...well I only met you guys a few months ago...but yeah Yui-senpai and Senpai seem to get along fine." Yui-senpai seems slightly frustrated with my response, and at a perfect time since the stuff we ordered just arrived. Some food would definitely calm ourselves and make this conversation more...productive. We ate for a moment before Yui-senpai continued with a reply.

"Mou...well it's more about Yukinon than Hikki, since to be honest he's an anti-social, logical, but really _dense_ person." It was true Senpai is extremely dense...he couldn't tell if another girl even had a hint of a crush for him even if she straight-up confessed to him. Go figure. But what does that really have to do with Yukino-senpai? Then...hold on...the only reason for Yukino-senpai to be so upset, as Yui-senpai says, about Senpai leaving would be that she also...but that means …. And I said… so she was … and… I ….really...screwed up then…

"You see Yukinon l-loves him. Even though they like to verbally abuse each other at times, she seems so much...happier with him around...so it wasn't long before I saw her feelings for him."

Well, that really explains why she's so upset about the whole thing. After realizing the giant picture, I felt guilty already for telling Yukino-senpai that...that I had feelings for Senpai, and she took it knowing her feelings as well. I looked down at the table with my hands locked in a tight grip on the seat. I felt so bad right now, that maybe my confession may have influenced this whole problem to get worse. I didn't mean to hurt her, but it still feels like my fault at least…

"I-I see." was all I could say as I was still recovering from shock and guilt. "Well, I probably wasn't looking deep enough to see how she really felt...I feel kinda stupid right now, really."

Yui-senpai looked at me with slight confusion. "Well, it's not your fault since it's Yukinon's feelings and her feelings alone that led to this." Oh, how wrong everyone is with everything in this world.

"Well...we haven't been helping the situation that much either...when I-" I stopped myself, thinking for a second of what would've happened if I continued. Mentally, I probably couldn't tell Yui-senpai the same thing I said to Yukino-senpai without getting emotional again. And...Yui-senpai likes Senpai as well, so it won't make anything better talking about the past right now. So, I'll leave it at that. Fortunately, she seemed satisfied with the first part of my reply.

"Exactly, so what I wanted to do was help cheer up Yukinon and talk to her about trying to solve this problem. And," she then looked at me with an expression of determination, " I was hoping you would accompany me to see her."

I closed my eyes to see what would be best in this case. I mean, after realizing what a mess I made a few weeks back, I feel almost obligated to help Yukinon. Well, I just really want to help her feel better. But, now that I know how she feels, I don't know if she'll feel better or even worse seeing me at her apartment. That's how all those romantic dramas work, where the woman feels horrible whenever a love rival pops up and she tries to act kind and stuff but inside they all hate each other…I don't want _that_ to happen in this situation. There's already enough drama to fill up all the light novels Senpai probably read in his entire life. So there's the negative...dang I'm really thinking this through too much.

Really, I just want to help Yukino-senpai...that's all there is to it. I felt like there was a real purpose...a genuine purpose for seeing her when she needs company.

"Yui-senpai", I then faced her with a meaningful expression before saying, "I would be more than happy to come with you. I care about Yukino-senpai too, so I think both of us going to her would be even better." With that, her face brightened, and her bubbly persona became apparent again.

"Alright! Let's do this!" she seemed super excited, ready to burst out the door before she noticed me pointing at the half-eaten food at the table. She chuckled, replying "Ooops, we can finish our meal first." I couldn't help but laugh a little as well, since Yui-senpai was such a kid sometimes, in a cute way of course. So, we finished our meal quickly, paid for the bill, and was about to leave before she noticed my bookstore bag.

"Ooh...did you buy something for the bookstore Iroha-chan?" Of course I bought something from the bookstore, I can't just steal a bag without getting something. But this was Yui-senpai, so it's alright. I can't tell her this is a light novel or else it'll be the end for all of us.

"Oh..yeah! It's for school though." _Please believe it…_

"Oh, ok...that's not fun, but if it's for school than whatevs! Let's go!" Phew, that was a close one. Now, after an unexpected encounter with a bubbly Yui-senpai, we're on a mission to help Yukino-senpai out. Definitely not underwhelming, probably the opposite even, but I felt motivated to go out and hopefully sort things out, because sometimes it only takes a little company to make a big difference.

* * *

 **Yui POV**

Okay, so that worked out great! Except for the part where I bumped into Iroha-chan, that was a little embarrassing, but it's all good now. We left the café, bracing the colder temperature as we headed in the direction of Yukinon's apartment. On the way, we passed by the bookstore again, where we met unexpectedly. I didn't get the chance to see the giant posters hung up at the front, promoting some new light novel. It looks like something Hikki would like...maybe he bought one wherever he is. Or maybe he doesn't have one and is practically dying to get his hands on them! I mean, if he ever did come back, giving him one of those would sound super corny but a nice show of how we all care about him too...but that's for a later day, we have to find Yukinon first!

"Hm.. Iroha-chan, that light novel would be a nice gift for Hikki if he ever comes back, since he probably doesn't have the time to get it himself." Iroha-chan only nodded, and I could see her gripping her bag a little tighter. Too bad she has to get some school book...though I don't remember having to buy a school book in my first year. Maybe the curriculum changed I guess. Since Yukinon's apartment was a pretty long walk from the café, it wasn't long before it was totally nighttime outside. It was getting _pretty_ cold, the wind started picking up, and there were no stars out since the clouds were covering them. It looks like it might even snow tonight, which is alright because I brought my umbrella with me! I almost forgot when leaving, but you know who was there to remind me.

" _Alright Mom see ya later!"_

" _Oh Yui-chan! Don't forget your umbrella! It looks like it might snow tonight!"_

" _Oh, thanks Mom!"_

So I'm prepared. Well, I got Iroha-chan covered too since my umbrella's pretty big. Ok, time to prepare what to say to Yukinon. Should I go in nicely like I always do, since I'm a nice girl and stuff? But she would be expecting me to be nice and kind and it might not be enough. Then maybe I should catch her by surprise and be super serious about the whole thing, so she would be more intent on listening to what I'm saying instead of falling asleep! But then she might not believe me if I act too out of character...ooh this is a tough dilemma. But I have a secret weapon: there's Iroha-chan. She can use her social skills to get Yukinon to talk, so I can jump in and deliver the final blow! But I don't want to overwhelm her or she might not reveal anything in the first place. And for some reason this sounds more like some video game the more I think about it...mou…

Anyways, we're almost at her apartment, so let's just go naturally, go with the flow, be cool and smart about it….something that's not me but I'll try. Sounds weird but I think it'll work. We got to the end of the block, and I see Yukinon's apartment just over there. And… what appears to be… a tall black garbage bag opposite the apartment. And there's little white puffs coming out of it.

"Hey, Iroha-chan, you see what I see?"

"Yeah, there's a person just standing there, creepy." Oh… it was a person. Woops. But I could swear he looked like a black garbage bag, even though there's no one who lives on that side of the street to throw out garbage...and Japan doesn't even throw garbage out that way...what am I thinking? A spur of the moment thing I think. We stopped at the intersection, just watching the person just standing there, motionless, little puffs of white floating in the air. It didn't look like the person was smoking; it was just so cold to begin with...mou now I'm cold.

I wonder if Iroha-chan's cold or not...I look over to my right, and she's shivering through her winter coat. I guess we're in the same boat then. "Hey, how much longer are we going to stare at that person before we go to her apartment?"

"True...let's go." I started walking forward, but I stopped when the dark figure started moving...in our direction. I stopped Iroha-chan as well, as we both followed the figure's movement with our eyes. This is getting really creepy, since the figure, which I can assume is a guy, is walking closer and closer to us. He's still on the other side of the street though, so perhaps he'll just keep going on his merry way. Maybe he realized it was too cold outside and that it might snow tonight, so he'll go back to a warm and cozy home.

Or maybe he'll cross the street and confront us...oh no what if that happens? I mean, hopefully that doesn't happen. I cross my fingers….if I could feel my fingers in this cold. Then came the moment of truth, when the man was directly across the street from us, the (hopefully) shortest distance between us. Then, I could see him turn his face slightly, as if to see who we were. I almost jumped back in fear, but I kept my ground like Iroha-chan did. The streetlight casted a shadow over his face...so I couldn't tell his face. It was a split second of time, before he turned back and continued on his way back. He walked down a block, turned, walked across the street, and...into a parked black car. Now that's really strange...not so creepy...but really strange.

"Hey, Iroha-chan...wasn't that kinda strange how that guy just walked into that car." No response.

"Iroha-chan?" I looked over to her, and she's still fixated on the black car a block away. She wasn't moving, just like a stone statue or something. "Iroha-chan?" I tapped her on the shoulder, and she slowly reacted by turning her face towards me. I couldn't read it, maybe because my vision isn't that clear right now. "You okay?"

"Heh...yeah. I'm fine. Let's go now-"

Suddenly, the sound of doors flung open caught my attention. I turned back towards Yukinon's apartment...and...Yukinon's there?! She's outside, surrounded by a bunch of steam floating around her...looks kinda cool...except she's not wearing a winter coat! She's gonna freeze! We have to go get her!

I took a step forward and stopped. Iroha-chan didn't follow, and I felt something terribly wrong with going up to her. I couldn't figure out exactly why, but I wasn't able to move any closer as I just kept staring at her. My vision of her got blurrier as time passed, and it didn't take long before I realized it had started snowing. It's not the fluffy type of snow that looks pretty when it falls. It's the wet, heavy, mean kind of snow that's almost disgusting to be in. I had my umbrella out, so both Iroha-chan and I were protected from the rain-like snow...but Yukinon was still out there, seemingly staring into the darkness. I reached for Iroha-chan in order to bring her towards Yukinon, but a sudden sound left me frozen mid-grab.

It was Yukinon's voice, very faint at first, but getting louder until I could hear the words.

"Idiot...Idiot.."

"Stupid!"

"Diwit!"

"Hachiman-"

Suddenly, she collapsed onto the sidewalk. I could hear her sobbing now, feeling tears start to well it in my eyes as well just witnessing her fall to the ground. The snow started getting heavy, as my vision of her starts fading away into white. However, her voice still pierced through the air, almost jolting me and Iroha-chan off our feet.

"H-Hikigaya-kun…I'm sorry..." Her voice started rising again...I desperately wanted to just run up to her and get her out of this horrible weather, but something kept me in place. Some part of me wanted to stay and just hear out what she was going to say; I don't have a clue why, but in the end my feet stayed planted on the snow-covered concrete sidewalk, no longer able to advance forward. I noticed Iroha-chan also refusing to move, putting us both in the same boat then.

"I'm sorry…I-I…" Yukinon….please….let me, let us…

"Yu-"

"I-I'm sorry I'm in love with you...Hikigaya-kun!"

My voice failed as I took in what Yukinon just said. I couldn't hold on to the tears anymore, and they started streaming down my face. I looked over to Iroha-chan, and she was also crying too; we made eye contact, and suddenly she grabbed onto me and started sobbing. We were both sobbing at that point, except we could no longer hear anything but the wind rushing past us.

 _No….I'm sorry Yukinon_...I thought through all the tears... _I'm sorry…_

 _I'm sorry I can't even support you when you need us the most…._

* * *

 **Iroha POV**

"I-I'm sorry I'm in love with you...Hikigaya-kun!"

With that, I broke into sobs, knowing all too well how she felt, and feeling all the guilt inside me erupt as I grabbed onto Yui-senpai's arm and cried. It was my fault...at least partially if not the majority...for putting another burden on her without knowing that she was also in love with Senpai...I should have known that, now seeing how oblivious I was all the time at the Service Club. Even up to that point when I told her only a few weeks ago, I had no idea what she was going through as well. But, possibly more importantly, I failed to comfort her when she needed it, especially when she was there for me then. I was in no shape to offer her anything, in the emotional state I'm in now...how pathetic. This was probably the lowest point in all three of our lives...all because of one single event escalating so quickly into a giant mess.

There was no point in mentioning anything about the man who passed us by...that would only complicate things further...so forgetting it would be best...

Yui-senpai was also sobbing as we were both entangled physically and emotionally. It was true Senpai brought all this on all of us, but for some reason I can't find any ground to blame him for this...all the guilt is pointed in my direction. I felt selfish for clinging onto Yui-senpai and not confronting Yukino-senpai, but I no longer had the courage to go any further. So I was left with nothing but regret. In the end, there was nothing we could do to comfort each other, since we were so close distance wise, yet so far away.

If this was meant to be a Service Club reunion, there would be no point in any sort of celebration. Perhaps I said too much.

 _I'm sorry...I failed as a friend to you Yukino-senpai…_

* * *

 **Haruno POV**

It felt strange.

Seeing my younger sister, once cold and aloof, allegedly impenetrable to feelings, brought down by a certain loner. A part of me did feel a slight hint of guilt in witnessing her in tears, as in all sincerity I was her older sister, her "nee-san" as she affectionately calls me. Of course, there's no affection at all, as she sees it more as familial obligation, especially when it comes to her mother or myself. Maybe a small sliver of myself indeed desired a more normal familial relationship, and it may have been in my hands whether these unfortunate events occurred or not.

But then again, I wasn't a real believer in self-causation anyway. In other words, people can only facilitate what would eventually happen. This situation was no exception; it was inevitable that her feelings would reach this point, yet this breakdown occurring before any signs of her mother's intervention could prove beneficial in the long run. There would have been no telling if Okaa-san was made aware, but the events itself chose to unfold this way, so no harm done. Even Yukino-chan's fall today isn't necessarily all for naught; there was a reason, a purpose, for everything that happens. If it were futile, then there would be no point in it happening. That's how society works.

Outside the windshield I could see Yui-chan and Iroha-chan clinging to each other, unable to provide support...in fact I didn't expect those two to come to Yukino-chan's aid at this time, perhaps a miscalculation somewhere. Or in the end, fate proved to be in favor of bringing everyone together, yet unknowingly, showing how close they were yet how for they really are apart. Irony, if I believe is the correct way to describe it.

I believe that it was time to bring today to a close, so I gestured to the driver that we were ready to head back out. As the car started to exit the scene, I turned back to the person sitting in the back, stilling wearing that winter coat, signs of heavy breathing from the winter night still noticeable. We were all in silence since viewing the spectacle, though I decided to break the ice a little, perhaps reflect on things.

"I didn't expect those two to be there, though it didn't matter in the end."

No response, though it was fine because I didn't expect one.

"This isn't over yet, you know. If that brain of yours is still functioning, just say anything so I know." I figured there was no point in bothering, so I started to turn back before I caught a shift in this individual's position, as if my words did cause a physical reaction. This time, I waited for a response, to which I expected to be music to my ears. At last, a voice, dark but clear as day, broke the silence.

"You satisfied yet?"

I smiled.

* * *

 **[1]: "My Teenage Romantic Comedy is Wrong As I Expected" is written by Wataru Watari.**

 **A/N: Welcome back, after another heartfelt chapter which has become the longest chapter in the story so far (8k), the story is going places, definitely. As for the next chapter, which I'm going to make even longer if that's even possible, prepare for another roller coaster. I have to thank all of you readers for supporting this story, since this is my first fanfic and I feel great that there are people out there enjoying it. Please continue with with your awesome feedback, and I'll keep working on this. Peace out.**

 **As a side note, I have a rough draft of the beginning for a second fic, though the plot can take two paths: one towards Yui (as mentioned) and the other towards Saki (woah). Towards the end of this fic I'll post a poll to see what you guys want. You can post your preference as a review, but I'll focus on the current story for now. See ya next chapter.  
**


	10. In the End, The Snow Still Falls

Chapter 10: In The End, The Snow Still Falls

* * *

 **Yukinoshita POV, Yukinoshita's apartment, Day of Graduation Festival**

Waking up.

As I couldn't come up with a better description for getting out of bed on the day of the Graduation Festival, I assume that I was still tired enough that my mental capacity could not register basic language. Feels strange due to the notion I've been sleeping more often than ever over the past week. It is almost counter-intuitive, how more sleep somehow induces a feeling of lethargy and mental cloudiness….or something like that. Looking out the window, I see the sky slowly changing from a hazy darkness to red, orange, and finally sky blue. The colors layering over each other, extending across the entire field of view, as if welcoming the arrival of the sun and the new day. Streaks of white patterned the hues of orange and purples, most likely from high-flying airplanes on their journey to somewhere else in the world. I felt attached to my bed for the duration of the sunrise, calmly staring outside my bedside window, feeling lost in such palette of colors. It does occur everyday, and it's taken for granted by most people….though I developed a notion to cherish this one moment in time, as if it was truly the last time. I was thinking nonsense, so as the sun finally made its way into the sky, I rose from my bed to prepare for school. Not school as in academically, but for final preparations for the Graduation festival.

In terms of the committee, after Shiromeguri-senpai's inclusion and insightful leadership, we were able to plan out and execute the festival successfully. Shiromeguri-senpai was indeed a respected figure from both student councils, so both groups rallied under her guidance, increasing productivity almost infinitely. The first meeting with the full council had produced all the logistics for the festivities, events, food, as well as planning for the grande finale: the firework show. The school was granted permission by the city to have fireworks set off at such a large scale, as Shiromeguri-senpai insisted on having a show akin to Destinyland….though I choose not to recall the events that occurred on that occasion. In other words, I'd rather stay this way for now….at least past the festival.

The fireworks was probably the biggest obstacle that was brought up during the committee post-Shiromeguri, since a show of such scale posed some safety concerns and a lot of logistical struggle. However, it was all done successfully through the effort of everybody on the council, and the city council and education board both approved the deal, allowing for probably one of the most spectacular displays for the graduating seniors to date. Reactions included a generous round of applause for Shiromeguri-senpai, a lot of cheering, shouting, and hugging, mainly from Yuigahama-san, but then spreading to Isshiki-san and company. They were truly excited for what was to become the largest and most planned-out festival for a long time, combining all food and entertainment with the fireworks…

Well...I'm getting ahead of myself now; there's still some final preparation before the festival starts this afternoon. I realized I had already gone through the necessary morning routines, so all that was left was get my belongings and leave for Sobu High, that's all. I reached for my bag and made sure I had everything I needed. Then, for the first time in while, I decided not to set my clock; it's always been my thing to set it in the morning...though today I didn't feel inclined to do so. As I thought about the clock, I instinctively turned back to my bed...noticing a small paper resting on one of the pillows. It must have been something I was working on last night before falling asleep….not festival-related, so I felt no need to bring it with me. With everything settled, I unhooked my coat and put it on before leaving. Down the stairs, around the corner, through the front doors, just like any other morning to school.

I feel the slight chill of the morning air, but it wasn't as biting as previous days, instead filling me with a sense of invigoration. It was a day of celebration, and the initial weather reports seem to point to a beautiful day for said celebration. I turned right, following the steps of countless images of myself on their path to school. I traversed this familiar path so many times before it was probably ingrained in my mind, almost like a comforting thought that I'm on track to somewhere. Yet, was that sense worth a slight sacrifice of fulfillment? Something different? I stopped at an intersection, at which I would usually cross paths with Yuigahama-san and walk together to school. However, I believe I was slightly earlier than usual, so she must have still been sleeping or preparing to leave. In these cases, I would continue my path to school and just wait for her there...but instead I had an urge to take a different path. Instead of turning right, I continued straight, walking into an otherwise quiet downtown area. The only people passing by were businessmen going to work, or joggers taking their morning run. Most shops were closed at this point; probably in an hour or two this part of town will be crowded with people. But now, this street felt peaceful, serene, tranquil in a way, as I kept walking past shops and buildings. The buildings became shorter as I got closer to the park, and at the final intersection I again thought a bit about turning to school.

In the end, it could wait. I continued across the street, taking the path into the park. The trees haven't grown leaves yet, but there were signs of life in the form of little buds at the tips of the branches. The snow still covered the ground, but in some spots the pointed tips of grass starting poking out of their winter slumber. Tiny footprints across the snow made it clear that little animals were starting to come out….meaning the end of winter was approaching. I kept walking, through periods of straight paths and curving bends, stopping once again at something that caught my eye. One tree had bloomed early, showcasing its pink flowers. Even in the cold, the snow, this one tree had shown its colors, as if it had been impatiently waiting for the beginning of spring but diverged from the path. Where did I hear that before….but I decided it wasn't worth the thought. I stared at the tree, admiring the beauty, but also remembering how early bloomers often were faced with unfavorable consequences...there were already signs of change… like the petals already starting to fall on the ground below, forming the beginning of the pink blanket. In biology, the early-blooming trees were unfavorable as the birds have not arrived yet from migration, making reproduction not as likely. Also, the early start also shows signs of the tree's biological clock no longer as punctual or accurate as before...whether due to natural age or illness. In the end, the early bloom leaves this tree susceptible to frost, and only some sort of miracle that could protect the tree would be able to produce a positive outcome, hence saving it. It was like...nevermind.

I moved on. Walking away from the tree, away from the park, away from it all. It no longer interested my mind, the natural beauty of the tree now fading into a distant memory. It was still pretty on the surface….perhaps I will leave it at that and move on. Eventually I reached the familiar walkway, stretching towards the entrance of Sobu High. Even from a distance, signs of movement were visible; anything from giant banners to decorated stands were shifted left and right. The sun was now a considerable distance over the horizon, shining over the school grounds and illuminating the large amount of glitter used in some sections. It must have been close to mid-morning, so the "walk" I had must have really turned into a journey. Nevertheless, I eventually wound up here, as if there was only one path to begin with. Slowly yet steadily, the image of the school grounds enlarged so I could make out the faces of the students moving boxes, fixing banners, and adjusting the event stands. One of these faces I recognized, wearing a giant grin and practically bouncing off the nonexistent walls...it was none other than Yuigahama-san. I made it to the entrance and was greeted by Yuigahama-san rather excitedly.

"Yukinon! Can't you believe it the festival's today and it's gonna be sooooo great!"

"Yes it will….but we still have to prepare." she nodded in agreement.

"Hm..I didn't see you earlier Yukinon…."

"Yeah, I took a slightly longer path to school today." Almost as if by cue, Isshiki-san, Hayama-kun, and Shiromeguri-senpai appeared from behind one of the food stands to greet us.

"Hey Yukino-senpai!"

"Good morning Yukinoshita-san."

"Heyo Yukinoshita-san!"

"Good morning Isshiki-san, Hayama-kun, Shiromeguri-senpai...nice to see you all." I decided to turn things back to festival prep. "Is everything going fine with the final preparations."

Shiromeguri-senpai replied. "Things are going great! Just a few banners and stuff need to be hung up, and the fireworks crew should be arriving soon to put in the magic." As she said this, I could almost see mini fireworks going off in her eyes….

"You seem very excited about the fireworks." I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Of course...that'll blow everyone away with the pyrotechnics! Well…" she smiled at this point, "I'll act surprised about it anyway. This idea was really all of you guys coming together for us seniors. I only helped a tiny bit, so I'd like to thank you all for making this happen." Shiromeguri-senpai was really understating how much she helped everyone out, but it made sense that she was honoring our efforts to make this festival a reality. Well, it was reality just yet; we still had some work to do.

"Well, it's thanks to you Shiromeguri-senpai that we've gotten this far, so let's go all the way this time." This statement seems to have initiated our little group to put our hands in the middle similar to scenes in sports games, and we broke off to our own activities and preparations. It was apparent that the work that was left for us summed up to less than a few hour's job at most, so I presumed everything would be set in stone before lunch, leaving us with some down time before the festival starts.

The first task I started involved setting up the banner that would span the front entrance. The underclassmen from the Art Club took on many of the design aspects of the project, including the banners, so they all came out really nicely. Now all was left was to attach the ends to the poles across the pathway, so I got to one side with a step-ladder lying on the ground. Coincidentally, Yuigahama-san wound up on the other side of the walkway, excitedly waving a hand at me while we both proceeded to pick the banner up. Other students came to make sure we were safe while on top of the ladder. Although Yuigahama-san and I were not the tallest people there, the steps made it quite easy to attach the ends to the pole. The only tricky part was adjusting the sides so that the sign had a nice curve to it, so it wasn't sagging nor too stiff. Both Yuigahama-san and I were fiddling with the ends, since it was either too shifted to the left or right, too high, too low, and so on. After a few minutes of fine-tuning, the banner rested perfectly on top of the poles, the light wind letting the glitter on the banner sparkle in the sunlight. For a second, everything was peaceful as I admired the banner, the kanji artistically painted in with illustrations….then….

There was a cracking sound, then something like a bolt dropping to the ground.I felt confused as the air beside me started rushing upwards, the banner seeming to float farther away. It took me a second to realize that my feet were no longer on the ladder, therefore I was falling.

"Yukinon!"

Again, came a moment where time seemed to slow down. It felt….oddly calming, everything in slow motion before reality kicked in. Just….a little more time….

In the end, I felt a sharp pain run across my left knee before I landed on the surrounding students. I was fortunate they were there to break my fall, or I would assume my injuries would have been more severe. I didn't come out unscathed though, as my hand instinctively went to my left knee, starting to feel hot and sore. A line of red became a little wider before bleeding down, and the sight of the cut across my knee almost instantly sent pain signals to my brain. Gritting my teeth, I looked over to see what must have happened, and my suspicions were confirmed when I saw the ladder in shambles. The top step had separated from the rest of the structure, leaving a sharp metal edge with a faint drop of red at its tip. More students gathered around me, including Yuigahama-san, Hayama-kun, and Isshiki-san. They all had expressions of mild shock and sympathy, which didn't surprise me. However, I knew this was at most a freak accident, and that it shouldn't require the attention of the entire student body for one small cut….but it still hurts.

I shifted my weight onto my right leg and addressed the growing crowd. "Guys, I will be fine. It is just a cut so I will go to the infirmary to get it bandaged. You can all go back to finishing the preparations, alright?" They seemed satisfied with my answer, and the crowd slowly dispersed back to normal operations.

"Yuigahama-san, do you mind helping me to the infirmary?" She looked at me, at first with surprise, but quickly melted into a smile as she nodded firmly. She came over to my left side and basically wrapped her entire right side around me. Not what I was envisioning initially, but I believe this works as well. We made our way past the students and into the school building, conveniently unlocked by the staff so we could access supplies for the festival. Since the infirmary was on the second floor, the next obstacle became the stairs. Yuigahama-san's method suddenly became useful as it made climbing the stairs much easier than I expected. Before long, we made it to the room, and I slid the door open and entered.

"Yukinon, let me get you all cleaned and bandaged up!" Well, I didn't have much of a choice as Yuigahama-san quickly slid past me and started opening up the cabinets filled with medicines and supplies. I conceded, taking a seat near the window.

"Okay, just make sure to not mix up the bottles and accidently kill me-"...that sounded a bit off coming from me.

Yuigahama-san took my comment quite comically. "Waahh? Of course not….I'm not that airheaded?! I mean….this has to be easier than cooking, since all I need is the rubbing alcohol and the ointment and some bandages….and…..um…."

I started laughing. "Yes, you got them all." I looked down to inspect the injury more closely. It was a pretty clean cut across the knee, not deep enough to sever anything important, but still a bad cut. I tried bending my knee, noticing that after a certain angle the pain becomes pretty severe, so I left it relaxed. By the time I was done assessing my leg, Yuigahama-san came with the spray and enough bandages to mummify someone. She got down and started cleaning the knee, bringing out the spray to disinfect. I braced myself, and tried not to show any signs of pain as the alcohol stung like hell. I probably failed in staying emotionless, as Yuigahama-san noticed and gave a warm look.

"It's okay, of course this would hurt like a lot, and it must suck….but you can tough it out!" She clenched her fist with a look of determination, borderline constipation, but I got her point. She continued, wiping the excess alcohol and applying the antiseptic before starting the bandage wrapping. "Y'know, you'll always strong and dependable as a friend. I wouldn't have done so well my second year without you." She suddenly stopped applying the bandage, looking up at me with a smile on her face, yet I could see something amiss. Her expression slowly revealed her true emotions, as tears started falling.

"Y-You're the greatest friend like ever….and I'm….I'm nowhere as helpful….I'm….sorry!"

She moved forward, landing on me and wrapping her arms around my back. Her head rested on my shoulder, and I found my hands instinctively wrapped around her to comfort her. Yet there was no prior reason for this situation to occur, nothing that could have prompted something as emotionally charged to happen as they have happened at the present time. There was….perhaps…nevermind. I let this play on for about a minute before getting us out of there. That room had a bit too much sentiment attached to it, and I was not to blame her for anything related to it. But right now we still have one goal to accomplish.

We both stood up to leave, and as I watched Yuigahama-san, I could tell she was still somewhat shaken by whatever had just happened but was doing her best to seem cheerful. Her eyes were still a bit tinged with red, and she tried to prevent the bit of sniffling, but I chose to ignore those details as we headed back downstairs towards the preparations. By the time we got back down, I was pretty sure they would have been able to get the banner upright and fixed at the front entrance, so I was not surprised when we walked outside that it was completed. Hayama-kun and Isshiki-san came toward us and asked how my leg was doing. I said it was alright, nothing really to worry about. Of course they seemed concerned about it, pointing out how I had a bit of a limp from that one knee, but I assured them that it would be fine for tonight and from then on it would heal. After a bit more appeasement, everyone seemed ready to move on and finish up the final touch-ups before the opening. I got most of the light materials ready across the stalls, and before long it looked as though we had finally finished.

We had finally finished. Was this really what I wanted...since afterwards I knew it would be over. Then-

"Yukinon! We're going to lunch now, so let's go!" I felt Yuigahama-san get a hold of my arm as she brought me over to the rest of the group. It seems that I had spaced out a bit judging by everyone's reactions, but I brushed it aside. No point in getting all sentimental again.

"Alright then, let's have some lunch," I agreed, and we all headed out.

Lunch.

Nothing really important came of this basic consumption of food, just friendly interactions between classmates before waiting for the opening of the festival. So, I didn't feel much attention being paid to these few hours at the place we were at, or what I was really eating, or the conversation that was going on between Yuigahama-san and the others. It must have been heated for a bit, since I could hear Yuigahama-san's voice pretty clearly through the whole conversation. But I was more focused on something outside. I was just looking at the sky, feeling my vision hover around a cloud floating in the sky. I couldn't discern what it exactly looked like, but it was quite interesting. Quite a bizarre cloud I would presume, since its shape kept shifting as it passed by. It looked like a cat at first, then morphing into a human face. It had everything; the hair, the nose, the eyes, the mouth, the ahog-

"Yukinon, you're spilling your drink!"

"Eh?" I quickly looked down and straightened my glass before any more would spill onto the table. I grabbed a few napkins and cleaned up the mess, apologizing a bit for spacing out. Once I looked back up to the sky, the cloud was gone. Strange.

I felt a bit of spite wash over my mind, a moment where he had somehow worked his way back into my thoughts. I wanted to scream and tell him to get out, to stop...but as I was going to, the thoughts disappeared and I returned to my former position with everyone else. The agitation was gone, though those feelings had taken away quite a bit of energy from myself, as if I had run a marathon, which is strange since I would never think of running one with my stamina, or lack of stamina that is. The feeling was shrouded in emptiness; I obviously hid it, making sure I held a steady hand and usual composure for the rest of lunch. It wasn't so difficult, since by that time everyone had eaten their food and were only chatting about certain topics I did not feel inclined to think about. Not long after, the group decided it was time to head back towards the school and start what was going to be the largest student-held event in Chiba since who knows when.

Was I excited? It was hard to say. Maybe the question is whether it would be better if I felt excited for this.

Well...would it?

* * *

"Yukinon, over here!"

I turned my head, following the voice to Yuigahama-san, who seemed just about thrilled at the moment. She was holding a generous amount of food in her hands, and I could not help but laugh a little at her reaction to all this food. She somehow managed to hold all of it with one hand before holding onto my wrist with the other, pulling me towards her.

"C'mon, there's so much to do over here! Have some food as well!" she chirped before handing me a skewer of yakitori. As we walked further into the festival, I slowly nibbled on the yakitori, letting the taste of the chicken linger a little longer than usual.

It was undoubtedly delicious; the chicken was so tender it would melt on my tongue.

Yuigahama-san was still trying to drag me somewhere, and I realized that I haven't really asked her where we were going in particular. Once I asked, she just turned around and smiled.

"Don't worry, it's really fun!" We passed by a few more food stalls before she brought us to where many of the games were.

I smiled.

Yuigahama-san will always be Yuigahama-san.

"Yui-senpaiii!" I turned again, and none other than Isshiki-san appeared. Yuigahama-san was currently trying to hook a small balloon for the fifth time. Isshiki-san walked over, as cheerful as usual, but as she got closer I could tell a more sincere expression on her face.

"How's it going?" she asked, looking directly at me.

"Well, the festival's been pretty fun, nice and relaxing," I replied, nodding towards Yuigahama-san over there on her sixth attempt.

"Mm, that's good!" Isshiki-san beamed. "How's your leg then?"

I looked down at my leg, where the bandages were still wrapped around. It still hurt, and if I weren't having this much fun I would probably be in a worse condition. But at this moment, I felt normal.

"It feels fine now, thanks for asking," I replied.

"Great!" Everything was so nice today. The preparations, the festival itself, all leading to the planned fireworks event. Smooth and quite relaxing indeed. I-

"Yui-senpai….is something wrong?"

"Huh?" I asked, completely caught off guard by Isshiki-san. She looked quite disturbed by something, and she was definitely staring in my direction with an uncomfortable look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"You're...crying…"

No...

As she said this, a slight breeze passed us by, and I felt the cooling sensation on my cheeks. The same feeling, only reminded me of emptiness, of coldness, even in the warmer spring evening. Bringing back the dead of winter, and I...I-

"Yukinon!" Yuigahama-san had come back from the stall, with one of the balloons in her hand, and her expression changed as she came into view.

She wore the same expression Isshiki-san held. Strained and worried.

"Yukinon? You…you okay?"

"I…" I couldn't speak again.

"Yukinon…"

"Yui-senpai?"

With that, I saw other familiar faces start to draw nearer, including Hiratsuka-sensei and Shiromeguri-senpai.

I...there was nothing left to do really.

I had fun today.

"I'll...go into the school and relax a bit." I quickly said, turning my direction towards the building. "It's fine, just need a little time to think. You guys can stay here and have fun."

"Yukinon...but-"

"It's fine, Yui." I used her first name...wasn't sure if it slipped out or was intentional. But with that she seemed slightly surprised, eventually agreeing with my point with a nod. Isshiki-san didn't reply, but let me walk towards the school by myself. The doors were unlocked in case we needed any supplies or stuff like that from the school for the festival.

Pushing the doors open, I started walking the halls, and instantly I felt the pain from my leg get worse and worse. I wasn't really walking anymore, more like limping. That wasn't the real pain I was facing though.

There was definitely a torrent of emotions passing by, each only lasting a couple of seconds before my mind raced towards another place. I was a mess. The hallways seemed darker than before; my mind didn't comprehend that it was getting towards sunset so logically it would be darker than usual. My legs took me somewhere I was not yet aware of, yet I could only remember the feeling of walking up the flight of stairs because it caused an increased amount of strain on the injured knee. I made it up the stairs, then slowly walked down the familiar halls.

There was the infirmary to the left. The sun was setting, giving the room that orange glow as I remembered... I was here before. The latter with Yuigahama-san, and the former with...him.

This sparked my imagination once more, seeing the image of both him and I sitting there after the sports festival. That time I was treating his injuries, and we were so close together it was hard to breathe. For a moment, I caught a glimpse of her point of view, the girl with flowing black hair and cold demeanor kneeling there next to him. Looking at his eyes, as rotten as they were. Forgetting about school, about his or her...my responsibilities, or the time of day or day of the week. A that moment, it was just him and I, and nobody else. She...I was very close to him.

In reality, I was still so far. Too far to even move any closer, and with that the moment passed, the opportunity eclipsed itself and became shrouded in shadows once more.

I must have been standing there for at least ten minutes, as when I came to the sun was significantly lower, almost at the point of sunset. My heart was beating faster, and my cheeks were warm, contrasting the cooling effect of the tears.

I was lost, but I figured it would be all right in the end. This was how it was to be.

I smiled wistfully, moving away from the infirmary. I found the stairs again, but instead of going down I traveled up, making sure I didn't trip or injure my leg any more. Another flight of stairs...then up one more flight. Before I knew it, I was on the roof.

I met the cooler air with a slight chill, but after I felt accustomed to the outside again I started moving along the rooftop, looking up at the sky streaked in multiple colors. It was similar to the colors of the morning, obviously in the opposite direction, but equally beautiful. It was beautiful.

I moved closer towards the edge, getting a better view of the festival below. The stalls lined up across the main entrance, and students were moving in all directions: eating, playing games, and mostly having fun. Among those people were Yuigahama-san, Isshiki-san, Shiromeguri-senpai, Hayama-kun, Tobe-kun, Miura-san, Kawasaki-san, Totsuka-kun, Ebina-san, and Hiratsuka-sensei, among all the other students and staff there. All of them...carrying on. Moving forward.

It was a bit too late on my part, then.

I moved away, walking towards the other side of the roof, my footsteps slowly yet surely beating to the rhythm of the music below. The pain in my leg was mitigated, almost feeling like I had not injured it at all. I believed the tears have dried, so the breeze felt not stinging but more welcoming. I walked forwards, but if I stared at the sky it would seem I was not moving at all.

I reached the ledge. I looked around...realizing that the fireworks were going to be set off any moment now. They would come from the front, so I turned around and sat on the ledge.

I wasn't sure how much time passed...but sure enough the crowd down there quieted down and time slowed down. My hands felt the cool and rough texture of the concrete ledge, meeting my fingers with a gentle touch. The wind blew forwards a bit, pushing my hair in front of me to see. The sun shone ahead, now at sunset. The night was quickly approaching, but the fireworks were about to begin.

We made sure the fireworks were going to be precisely timed and choreographed for maximum visual effect.

I closed my eyes for a second, letting myself relax and absorb the world through my other senses. The low whistling of the air around my ears, mixing with the murmur of the crowd below and the chirping of birds from above. The clean smell of an approaching spring, with subtle hints of the food being cooked and served below. I could almost taste the yakitori I had earlier. The warmth of the sun blanketing my face, the flow of the wind from behind.

At the same time, a slow progression of images passed into my vision like an old movie reel. Memories, both good and bad, playing across. The infirmary scene vanished as quickly as it appeared, and so did many others. The first time I was in the Service Club. That look on Hiratsuka-sensei's face when she brought him in: content and masked humor.

Getting to know Yuigahama-san...first with the failed baking attempt that slowly led to her joining the club. All the times we got to hang out through our club duties, growing closer together because of the time we spent after school in the name of the Service Club.

Aiding Isshiki-san with everything the Student Council threw at her, which she decided to the throw on Hikigaya-kun, and subsequently taking some of the load on our shoulders as well. Nevertheless, it felt a bit satisfying seeing out the success of the events the Student council planned, whether it was the Christmas party or this senior festival.

And then...there was Hikigaya-kun, someone who managed to go against everything I was expecting or attempting to do but in the end making these past few months much more than it would have been otherwise. My mind flickered over all the times we were sitting in the club room; he would be reading his childish light novel, while I read more sophisticated literature. He drank his overly sweet MAX coffee, and I had my cup of tea. He had his ultimately logical and rotten personality, contrasting my mature yet aloof character. I wouldn't have talked to him under normal circumstances.

So the circumstances were anything but normal.

Neither of us were so-called normal. And it was in that fact I think we were able to be together, to grow closer.

Finally, the trip to Destinyland comes to mind. After shopping for Pan-san clothes and stuff, he and I were on one of the rides, separated from the others. We were on the ride now, and to be honest it was quite awkward at first. But after a bit of talking, it become comfortable...and I looked over to him, his ahoge and all. His eyes were still looking out towards the outside, as we were approaching the end of the tunnel and eventually the waterfall.

The light illuminated his face, and for a second I could see those small pupils of his shine. I looked at him for a bit longer, feeling something I couldn't explain then.

"Hey, Hikigaya-kun…" I said, grabbing his attention. I didn't notice my hand moving towards him, holding onto the cuff of his jacket. He turned, obviously surprised.

The ride moved outside, the color-filled amusement park below us.

"Help me someday."

I'm back on the rooftop ledge, looking up at the sky. My eyes are open now, gazing at the expanse of sky above. At that moment, I heard the first of the fireworks sizzle and ignite from the ground, shooting up towards the air to light up the fastly approaching night.

I smiled...feeling somehow refreshed by this moment.

"It's okay, Hikigaya-kun." I said out loud, still looking upwards, at nothing in particular at all. "You…"

My voice hitched for a second, but I regained my voice to continue.

"You don't have to help me anymore…"

"You're free."

My smile faltered at this, but that moment of hesitation melted away.

The first firework opened up in the sky, expanding in an orange sparkle of light in all directions. I froze for a second, before more fireworks became airborne, building the momentum of the show with greater and greater intensity.

My hands slid forwards, while I let my body naturally slide in the opposite direction. My legs were already moving up the ledge, and before I knew it I was standing again.

It's okay Hikigaya-kun. You've...you've done so much, and I really appreciate it…

My feet shuffled closer towards the edge, until my heels were no longer touching the concrete.

Even if I haven't said it to you...I'll cherish being your clubmate…

The wind ruffled my dress and hair a bit as it passed by, as I waited for it to calm for just a moment.

Your friend….

A firework was just launched, soaring higher than the others...it was going to be larger than the others...and beautiful

And...your lover.

My body moved freely, unrestrained by the feeling of being weighed down. My breath came easy, my movements more fluid and open.

I blinked, the smile on my face still present before I opened my mouth one last time, hearing my voice once more to say a few choice words.

"Goodbye, Hikigaya-kun."

With that, I disconnected from the ground, feeling the air around me carry my weight instead. The firework exploded above, illuminating the sky in multiple colors, spreading across my entire field of vision.

The whistling grew louder, but the feeling in my arms and legs diminished until my eyes too became heavy. I caught one last glimpse of the heavens, engulfed in light, contrasted with shadows, mainly one directly above. The firework was dissipating, returning to its natural state. The shadow become universal, as my eyes closed and I let go.

Farewell.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, that was a long time. School, etc. But after all that time, a chapter is finally here. I will continue this story to the end, because it deserves a good ending. 5 months is too long, I agree. So, there will be a lot of explaining to do in future chapters, so I'll get to work and I hope you guys continue to enjoy what is to come. Thanks for all the support, and now that I'm moving out of the hiatus this story can get the work it deserves. Alright, enough from me, time for the next chapter. See you soon.**


	11. A Loner's Explanation I

Chapter 11: A Loner's Explanation I

* * *

 **Hikigaya POV**

What the hell…

These three words are most definitely an understatement. They don't do justice to the past weeks, to all the crap that everyone had to go through...what she had to go through. All because of-well it only makes sense to start from the beginning.

I now lie on my bed, pondering the same question over and over again. What would happen if I suddenly vanished from the world?

The simple answer is not much; the world would continue to spin and people would move on with their lives. In a perfectly logical world, my absence changes nothing.

But the world is not logical; humans are not logical.

So, what would really happen if I were to…

…disappear?

Guess that's a question that'll remain unanswered. For now, I probably don't have the energy to make it out of the house. Makes sense to just stay in bed.

So that's exactly what I did. I got into bed, shut off the lights, and decided to close my eyes. I managed a solid ten or fifteen seconds of relaxation before the doorbell rang.

Wait, what kind of cruel individual would ring our bell this late at night? I mean, sure it could be some aggressive salesperson trying to meet some quota for the junk he is trying to sell. It wasn't my parents as they were on some business plan overnight and would come back early in the morning. And they aren't the type to lose the keys to the house.

Whoever it was at the door should just go home.

 _Ring…..ring….ringringringring-_

Who the hell is this person?!

Irritated, I got out of bed, careful not to make a loud ruckus and wake up my peacefully sleeping Komachi. Again, I only care for her as her older brother. It isn't entirely my fault I'm usually the one with the responsibility; our parents, who are basically corporate slaves, have to work long hours and don't get home until after she's asleep. Today was one of those days where they wouldn't be back until early in the morning.

It is in these facts where I take inspiration for my vision to become a house-husband: flexible hours, minimum effort and maximum return on investment. If anyone had a much better alternative can try to change my mind.

By this time I managed to stumble out of my room and take the stairs down to the first floor, where the incessant doorbell ringing just gets louder. Annoyed, I fumbled with the keys to unlock the door and swung it open.

"What do you w-" I stopped, my brain unfortunately recognizing the person standing on the other side.

"Ah, Hikigaya-kun, nice to see you up at this hour," the demon herself smiled.

"Obviously not thanks to your idea to incessantly knock on my door this late," I replied, contemplating shutting the door right then and returning to my sleep.

"Oh, I would think you'd be happy to see me here," she smiled, as if plotting to drain my soul right at that moment. On second thought, that would probably hurt her more than it would hurt me, hah.

"Anyway, what do you want?"

"Hm..always getting down to business Hikigaya-kun, it's so like you," she replied, taking a small step forward. "It's very tempting to have you for myself, though I can sense that Yukino-chan would not be very happy about it."

I scoffed. "As if."

Silence.

Seeing as this conversation was going nowhere at all, and would likely continue unless I let her inside, I had no choice but to back away from the door and let it open for this woman to enter. As she did, I reflected on how dangerous she could be...very.

So much so that she was already halfway to the kitchen before I could wrap my head around what possibly could she be doing and snap back to reality.

"Oi, where're you going?" I asked, realizing my voice sounded like crap.

"Your fridge; it sounds like you need a drink, and I'm sure you have a supply of those sugary drinks you simply can't resist." She opened the door to the fridge and pulled out a familiar can out and into view. With a coy facial expression, she opened the can, stopped for a split-second, and handed the can over to me.

 _Dammit. She knew I wouldn't waste a can of MAX Coffee_.

I let myself indulge the sweet beverage as she took a self-guided tour of the first floor. When I eventually caught sight of her, we were in the living room. She decided to make herself comfortable on the couch, leaning back as if she lived here. I yawned, feeling much more tired than I figured I would have been after drinking a full can of MAX coffee, though being awake this late at night was enough of a reason to kick her out.

"If this is all you were planning to do I'm just going to leave you here bored while I sleep in peace in my room." After I finished my sentence, I realized a horrible mistake as her smile returned. "With my door locked," I added. She was dangerous.

"No fun, Hikigaya-kun," she laughed off, seemingly disappointed. "I suppose it must be so." What do you mean it must be so? If it were anything else she'd be arrested for both home invasion and attempted assault. But of course she was immune to any legal issue, or perhaps most problems in general. She was a Yukinoshita, second only to her mother in terms of scariness. Even the memory that one encounter with her on Yukinoshita's birthday was enough to send chills down my spine; she was not one to provoke.

"Sit," she added, making space on the couch in an attempt to have me sit down next to her. Yeah right, nice try. "You seem tired."

"I'm not tir-"...I yawned. I guess I was tired. She got up, looking like she was about to leave. Perfect, now I can perhaps sit down and relax for a bit. Drowsily, I managed to land on the couch without much trouble.

Why the hell was I so tired? If anything, I should at least be normal with the extra sugar and caffeine. Was my tolerance already that high? Eh, I guess.

I turned my head to the right, seeing Haruno still standing there, as if waiting for something. She had nothing to wait for, as there was seriously no point for her to be here. Exactly what did she accomplish from her ten minutes of being here? Literally a five minute conversation, looking through the house, and handing me a can of MAX coffee that I already had? Congratulations, it looks like Haruno Yukinoshita has hit a new low in terms of messing with me.

 _Leave._ I tried to say, but the words just didn't reach my mouth. I was _that_ tired. It was hard to move my head, so I was stuck looking at that stupid expression she wears, like she knew something I didn't Which to be honest was probably true.

My eyes felt very heavy, and I just realized that my body decided to sleep. As in I could not move. This felt wrong. For a second, my eyes gained focus and projected an image of Haruno just smiling as I sat motionless. Her lips moved.

"Good night, Hikigaya-kun."

My eyes lost focus, succumbing to the sleepiness as I drifted off to the abyss.

* * *

 _The hell is happening...ugh I can't move._

 _Where am I? I literally can't see anything. This is probably a dream, I mean of course I would dream of nothing but darkness. Just me, myself, and the void._

" _Onii-chan...where are you?"_

 _And Komachi. Let the tropes just shoot me down already. Hold on, it's getting lighter...great must be time to wake up and go back to the same cycle of going to school and suffering. Eventually, the black faded to the mundane familiarity of my room. It was already pretty late in the morning, well late as in if I ran from here to school I'd still be late and receive a nice conversation with Hiratsuka-sensei._

 _Apparently, Komachi was also in the room. Everything was still a bit blurry, but she was somewhere near my bed...oi Komachi I told you not to mess with my things again-wait she was crying._

' _Komachi...why-"_

" _-why'd you go…."_

" _What…" I'm right here? I know when I'm trying to use stealth Hikki, and at this moment that is certainly not the case. Could she not see me? I moved over to where she sat, moving my hand across to see if she noticed. Yet once my hand reached her, the scene blurred, scattering the room into a billion pieces._

* * *

The faint sound of cars passing by was what I woke up to. I never thought that we lived on a busy street, so that felt off. Also, this position was _not_ comfortable at all to sleep in...could I have fallen asleep on the couch? Even still, the couch would have at least been a bit softer.

I opened my eyes, revealing a view of gray blurred all around. Wait… I was in a car?!

"What the hell?" I croaked, moving my hands to rub my eyes. This must be some sort of dream sequence, so in a moment I'll realize I overslept and will have to face another demon...also single, but not as scary. As my vision cleared, it only became worse. It was an unfamiliar car, albeit quite fancy with leather seats and all the bells and whistles. Some rich person's car...er limousine actually. And...who is this person sitting here?

I turned to see none other than Haruno Yukinoshita literally resting her head against my arm, sound asleep. _Really scary!_ A hesitated a moment before moving my arm, wondering the consequences of waking her up intentionally. Well, since I'm the one who's seemingly been kidnapped, I think my priorities are in order.

As expected, she stirred, opening her eyes and instantly putting on that smile or hers. Any guy would melt if he was in my position currently; I may have even been taken aback for a moment if not for the warning signs blaring in my head.

And what do are those signs in my head? They are as followed:

What the HELL am I Doing Here?

"Morning Hikigaya-kun," she cooed, apparently trying to elicit a reaction by snuggling against my shoulder. Woman, this isn't going to work.

"Why am I here?" I responded, looking directly at her eyes. She returned her stare, still wearing that smile and dirty look in her eyes.

"Just a small excursion, nothing too long to worry about." And what is that supposed to mean? I deadpanned, just long enough so that her mask faltered in the presence of a genuinely disgusting stare.

And just like that, she answered. "I'll explain it a bit more once we get there," before regaining her composure. That was something the two Yukinoshita sisters shared: never letting their guard slip away for more than a moment.

I sighed...just what was she up to this time? Assuming Haruno's veiled statements can often mean the exact opposite, I'm a bit afraid but much more irritated that this was definitely not a small excursion. So it's not short, and I've already experienced first-hand that it's _not_ an excursion.

By definition, excursion would imply leisure and 'fun'; the latter of the two I'm not surprised this would lack, but for leisure…

I looked back at Haruno Yukinoshita, who returned a playful expression, even going as far to stick her tongue out.

Yeah no leisure either. I turned towards the window, eyeing the weak sun rising out from the horizon, only one question in mind.

What kind of mess was I in for?!

"A pretty big one, but nothing too far for you to worry much about."

Instead of retorting, I leaned back on the car seat and waited until we arrived at the destination. The scenery changed drastically until it became unrecognizable from the Chiba I grew up in. Eventually, the car rolled to a stop in front of a massive set of steel gates, held in place with a continuous stone wall that stretched beyond sight in either direction. In its closed position, the gate formed a sizeable golden "Y"- how fitting. Damn rich people.

The driver waved his hand at the guard, signalling the gates to open. With the path open, the limousine moved along towards the mansion. Now, I have seen only a few Western-style mansions over the years, yet the one approaching us was something else. Damn rich people.

Once the car stopped at the entrance, I was escorted up the steps and through another set of large doors into what appeared to be a large foyer. Before I could speak, the woman next to me beat me to it.

"Here's one of the estates my family owns. It's smaller than the other two in this region, but this one was the closest." She smiled. "I'm sure the size wouldn't bother you either way."

Damn rich people.

"Enough about your family's over-abundant wealth; why am I here?" I turned to face my supposed captor-that's right this is basically kidnapping, although I would refrain from calling myself a kid except in the type of scenario where I am both a minor and brought to a place against my will. Sounds familiar. I was irritated, and still somewhat drowsy...while the woman opposite me had only a look of amusement plastered on her face.

"As you wish, but over some breakfast," she replied, bringing me across several rooms toward what appeared to be a dining room. Two seats were already prepared with piping hot tea and omurice. Even though my stomach growled in hunger, my mind suppressed it with all the confusion swirling around. Haruno took her seat as I sat in mine, and before I knew it my hands mechanically spooned food into my mouth. Thanks stomach. Defeated, I took a sip of the tea, which was surprisingly pleasant tasting - and sweet.

"You really do have to watch what you drink, Hikigaya-kun," Haruno started, letting a smirk pass from her face. "It's partially the reason why you were pretty easy to bring here." She only added more confusion with her words, as I could only recall drinking a can of MAX coffee from my fridge.

The can she offered from my fridge.

Realizing my mistake, I instinctively grunted out of annoyance. "Isn't drugging a minor and kidnapping him a sizeable offence in Japan?"

"It's only illegal if it's caught," she replied, taking another sip from her cup.

 _That logic shouldn't apply here woman!_

"Anyway," she continued, "now that things have settled down, I'll fill you in on what's going on. I started something...what would high-schoolers call it now...oh an experiment!" She tilted her head playfully, letting out the faintest giggle. "What would happen if the monster of logic, the king of loners, Hikigaya Hachiman was suddenly removed from the equation...I bet you've thought of this at least a few times in your life-"

I internally scowled, irritated by how much she was prying into the lives of both me and those associated with me. Not only that, but she wasn't wrong about half the things she has said, and that's that most irritating part. _She wasn't wrong_.

"I bet you've wondered how your interactions, however marginalized you've made it in your mind, have affected those around you. Minimal, you'd say. A few days of grief perhaps, but everything would return to equilibrium eventually-"

"So you dragged me out here to see what it would _really_ do to those who know me. Of course," I added, "there would be several measures you've taken in order to make sure that my location or present state is not revealed to anyone outside of this room-no police, no cameras, no evidence." There was a fine line between cleverness and insanity, and only a person like her would be able to bend this line in her favor.

That's not even how the metaphor is supposed to work, but that's the point. She decided the rules, after all.

Haruno chuckled. "How wonderful of you to understand so quickly. Nothing more expected from the monster of logic. But…" she paused, narrowing her eyes for a second.

"I suppose that could all change in time." I looked in confusion at her statement. It was enough to be concerned for my physical safety here, but whatever the hell she was thinking about that would potentially have that much of a profound effect on my mental state should've had the government on watch. Namely her father. Only another Yukinoshita, namely an older and more influential one, would be able to deal with a Yukinoshita.

"So what am I going to do here, just relax and let the days go by?" I questioned, seeing that there has to be something I had to do in her favor, which would certainly require work from my end that I am opposed to do-

"That is correct! My, Hikigaya-kun, you sure are quite a bright person for your rotten personality."

What?

"Bullshit."

"Of course it's true. All you have to do is sit back and observe-isn't that what you were thinking of?"

"Too good to be remotely true." I narrowed my eyes. "Even if I were just here to sit around and not endure any physical strain, there has to be some sort of suffering I'll have to face here...other than being in your presence."

"I take that as a compliment, Hikigaya-kun, and…" she trailed off, as if to think of how to phrase her words. "I never said anything about not suffering."

Fuc-

"Before you start mentally screaming profanities that will probably come out of your mouth as well, I suggest we go out and I'll tell you some of the ground rules here." With that, she stood up expecting me to follow. For my own good, I had to follow. There was no choice when it came to her.

I could start to see how the suffering could play out, and I'm definitely not a fan of it. But there are three rules when it comes to Haruno Yukinoshita. 1 - if she's serious, do what she says. 2: If you don't, you're fucked. 3: If you fucked, refer to rule 1.

Defeated, I rose to meet her; she started walking out of the room, but instead of heading out the way we came in, she took a different turn that led us further in, past several rooms and halls.

"Don't worry, I figured it would be easier to explain some things here," she replied, defending her obvious change in direction. The only thing predictable about someone like Haruno was her unpredictability. And when she latches onto an idea, it was always accomplished regardless of what underhanded method she chooses to utilize. We ended up in a spacious lounge room, fitted with comfortable seating and a large flat screen TV on the center of the back wall. Casually, she retrieved the remote and teasingly played with the buttons for a few seconds before turning it on. The screen on the TV turned a dark grey, waited a couple of seconds, and then displayed what appeared to be a video feed.

I walked closer, noticing certain aspects that caught my attention. Desks, chalkboard, windows… it was a classroom. More specifically, a classroom at Sobu High. Most of the students in that class were unrecognizable, but I could tell they were second years.

This was class 2-J. Yukino Yukinoshita's homeroom. No sight of Yukinoshita though - class was about to start, and for a fact I was sure she was always at least fifteen minutes early to class. I noticed at that point that the camera was attached to an individual, and in close proximity a hand appeared, holding a phone with its fingertips. The phone lit up with a distinctive lock screen.

Pan-san.

Haruno has done it. She is literally spying on her younger sister. Not that I was suspecting she was doing so already, the fact of witnessing someone I knew being bugged; I fear for my safety now. If this were a crossover of a Russian spy novel and overly protective onee-san manga...I'm sure nobody would disagree; then why do I have to be stuck in the middle of this?

"Are you just asking to be arrested?" I deadpanned, once more finding her methods beyond just borderline. She smirked, noting I already knew the answer, before moving on to the main reason this was set up.

Basically I would live in this place, practically doing...nothing at all, though at certain times she would have me honestly spy on Yukinoshita. As uncomfortable as that sounds...nevermind there's no positive to this. It's completely lunatic.

My teenage hostage situation is wrong as expected.

"Already, not that all of this is cleared up, we can go out on a date!" she exclaimed, completely ignoring the weight of the situation. I raised an eyebrow, again questioning her mental stability over the past few hours. But I conceded; any sort of resistance would guarantee I would be dumped somewhere in the forests of Japan and be truly missing in a matter of minutes.

Instead, those minutes were spent walking to the car and riding towards the city. As the skyline was replaced with buildings, a thought popped into my head.

"If I was reported a missing person, wouldn't the cameras spot me the instant I walk out of this car?" Logically, that would be my ticket out of here. Or at least a ticket out of proceeding with her antics.

"That's been taken care of, you see," she nodded, flashing a quick smirk. "The citywide surveillance program is operated by a small private company stationed in the business district; they would take the video data and send it directly to the police department, and this allowed the city to have much more efficient and effective cameras."

"So, you're saying I could be caught even if I'm in this car." Something was up.

"Normally yes. But our family has a relationship with that surveillance company.

"Your dad negotiated with them?"

"He bought the company."

If I were drinking anything at that moment, I'm sure I would've spit it straight onto the leather seats. That was such a Yukinoshita thing to do I suppose.

"So don't worry about the cameras...you're invisible," she faked a playful smile, and that concluded the car trip.

The "date" consisted of her shopping around and me listlessly wandering in the general vicinity of her location. It was quite uneventful, which I was perfectly fine with. It would have been much more concerning if something eventful occurred in fact; that being said, the probability of something catastrophic happening will only increase as time goes on, so fuck.

It was approaching mid-afternoon...I was surprised I haven't received any messages on my phone asking where I was. I mean, the only people I knew had my contact was Komachi, Yukinoshita, and Yuigahama. Judging today's phone-addicted society, I would have expected at least Komachi or Yuigahama to have given my phone a seizure with unread texts and missed calls. Yuigahama and Yukinoshita probably would believe I took a day off from school...Komachi on the other hand was too smart for her own good, but she'd probably think I went to school without her and only take away some Komachi points. It's okay, I've already accumulated a lot to make up for that-wait why am I thinking of this like there's no problem at all?

We eventually ended up sitting in a fancy cafe, two cups of some fancy coffee in between us. I would have preferred something a bit more separating us, like a brick wall. Or the Pacific ocean.

Of course this fancy cafe had a private room that was reserved for people of status in the town. And of course the Yukinoshita family was one of those on the list. Why do I even bother having to explain all of this, half of which I still don't understand why they haven't been convicted of anything.

Well, one thing I can be grateful of is the relative silence between us. Other than her musing about a few things in her life, not much that I had to pay attention to was brought up.

But, as always, everything didn't seem perfectly fine. As if on cue, she pulled out her laptop, typing something into it before setting in on the table for both of us to see. It looked like a video player on the screen, with the obnoxious buffering symbol plastered on there. The screen lit up, now displaying a view of another familiar setting: the clubroom.

"If Yukinoshita ever finds this out, well I'm sure you'll figure something out for yourself, but there's no escaping my death," I sighed, taking another sip from my cup. Even though I added a good amount of sugar, it doesn't taste as good as MAX coffee. I should probably be more careful about drinking things handed to me by a certain someone though. I would not be having this conversation otherwise.

Yukinoshita had her usual cup of tea, sitting in her usual spot at the head of the table. It was also pretty quiet; except for the ambient noise of the room and the outside, there was nothing to hear.

I only say this because it made the footsteps very noticeable in the audio. Yukinoshita seemed to notice as well, as the camera angle shifted slightly towards the door. It slid open, and a girl with coral hair-buns appeared.

Yuigahama.

"Good afternoon, Yuigahama-san."

"Oh, Yukinon...yahallo…" Her face, the tone of her voice.

Shit. She knew.

But how would Yuigahama already know about it...there was nothing to show that I was kidnapped or running away.

 _Don't overreact, Hachiman._ She may be upset about something else.

But I knew very well that was a lie.

With Yuigahama's distraught look on her face, Yukinoshita seemed to go stiff. "Yuigahama-san, are you okay? What happened?"

"Um...it's…" she started, just as a tear rolled down her cheek. It took a couple of seconds before Yukinoshita suggested that she sit down with her; the way Yukinoshita was always composed about these matters gave me two conflicting ideas. One part of me was honestly impressed at her composure, as if she knew what to do at almost any point in time, no matter how big of a hole she found herself in. But, everyone human being has his or her limit; although she may not seem to exhibit such human-like qualities at times (maybe more cat-like), her emotions do exist. It did take her a couple of seconds before comforting Yuigahama, not instantaneously.

After a few minutes, Yukinoshita's voice was apparent, a bit softer than usual. "Hey, Yuigahama-san, did you see Hikigaya-kun when you were wa-"

 _Fuc-_

 _AHH what the hell my ears!_

"Gah, turn the volume down!" I instinctively said through gritted teeth as the speakers on the laptop screeched violently. Before the speaker blowing out became imminent, she turned it down to half volume. If Yuigahama's crying was that loud, I was afraid everyone within a two-mile radius of the school would need immediate medical assistance.

Back to my original thought: Yuigahama was _definitely_ aware of my disappearance. What was also concerning was Yukinoshita was on the verge of being told this; of course this is exactly what her older sister wanted, as well as wanting me to see it in real time.

"- is Hikigaya-kun involved in this?"

Yuigahama nodded.

"Did Hikigaya-kun do something to make you upset?"

Is she going to think I assaulted her or something? Yukinoshita, you of all people shouldn't be assuming trivial things like this.

Although that's probably what she's thinking about at this very moment as Yuigahama nodded again. What did I do to deserve this, Yukinoshita? It was all your sister's doing!

"What did he do?"

"Hikki….he…"

 _I ran away._

"H-he r-ran away." Except from the quiet sniffling from Yuigahama, the entire room was dead silent. As the seconds ticked by with no immediate reaction from Yukinoshita, I could have sworn the tension emanating from there was deadly. There was one very likely outcome to occur within the next few moments, using the logic I could salvage from my overwhelmed mind.

Her expression would turn sour and I was afraid she would lose her temper. The very few times she showed anger left no stone unturned; after I falsely confessed to Ebina, she didn't hold back her frustration from me and Yuigahama. Since the supposed action this time is infinitely times more outrageous than that, it warranted a scolding beyond comparison.

"Hikigaya-kun did what?"

Here it comes….Yuigahama went off a bit on how she came to find out. So Komachi had told her; she must have been devastated. Komachi, your onii-chan has failed you, _gomenasai!_ If the psychotic spawn of the Yukinoshita family sitting across from me hadn't intervened, none of this would be reality.

"What?"

Yukinoshita was again at a lost of words, but it didn't seem out of anger or disgust. She seemed….genuinely shocked. This was completely unexpected of her, like watching an alternate reality of Sobu High on this laptop. Yuigahama showed the end of her patience as she virtually snapped at Yukinoshita; she then proceeded to explain a note that Komachi had found in my room.

This was all unexpected. Then again, me being whisked away from the their world without any prior notice was also unexpected.

I was taken aback when Yuigahama raised her voice; the nice girl of the Service Club suddenly started yelling at the Ice Queen, catching most of us off guard. Of course, Haruno seemed quite amused by the slow-moving trainwreck.

"My, how one event rocks the boat quite significantly, don't you think?" she smirked, apparently enjoying the situation from the comfort of her leather seat. I turned my attention away from the computer screen for a moment to address her nonchalant attitude.

"How could you be so-" I stopped. I must have lost my train of thought or something similar to that, since after a few seconds I felt no urge to continue that conversation. She kept her smile in place, unfazed. What provoked me more was that note apparently left in my room that Komachi found...what possibly could that have even been?

" _Significance is a stupid word. To say an object has significance is materialistic. To say a person has significance is an overstatement. To say I have significance is a lie. If you're reading this, check what time and date. Has it been 12 hours since I left? Two days? A week? The real question is: does it really matter? The reality is that I left because I felt my presence was only a burden on those I associated with. My absence can be regarded as my final social suicide. I leave behind two parents, a younger sister, a single teacher, two clubmates, and those who know my name, in whatever form. I don't know where I'll go, or for how long. That is all I have to say. Oh, and Komachi, you can use my room now that I'm gone. Dammit, maybe I do have a siscon. Might as well put that out there. Don't worry about me, just carry on with your lives, that is my request. Sincerely, Hachiman "_

I glared at the screen, not believing what my ears just picked up. That writing was mine, _unmistakably_ my own writing. It wasn't hard to recognize at all, in fact.

How so? Well I'd say it would be hard to forget the first 'A' I received on an assignment in Japanese literature. Of course, this assignment also earned me a quite unfortunate meeting with a surprisingly counseling yet still-single Sensei; any other teacher would have probably contacted my parents or perhaps a mental health hotline, but she decided to take it upon her own for this. A blessing and a curse I must say.

This still left a question outstanding.

"How did you manage to get this?" I directed toward the woman across from me.

"I have my resources," she replied. "Let's just say I was given something years ago I thought was quite useless at the time. In fact, I was considering throwing it away...but it proved to be just what I needed."

"So," I calculated, "after I was knocked out by the drink, you came up to my room and left that note there. In order to get the note, you had to have gone into the staff room in the school, meaning you had the key to the room. There are rumors in the school that valedictorians were given the master key as a token of gratitude. The teachers always denied this due to the backlash for a student actually having such a key to the school grounds. You were obviously the top of your class…"

"So I used the key, how bright you are Hikigaya-kun! I expected nothing less."

"But why go through all the extra work? You could have easily fabricated a pessimistic, self-loathing yet logical piece of crap that would pass as my writing," I deadpanned. "I guess handwriting would make sense as a reason… but going through this seems quite roundabout, even for you."

Haruno finished her sip and placed her drink down, looking down for a split second. "That's true, but I was only being cautious. There are more people than you think who can sense what writing is _unmistakably_ yours, and what might be an imitation. Yours sister, obviously; sibling relationships are normally quite close I'd presume. But this entire situation is to prove not only to them but also to you of how close you all actually are...as boring as that sounds."

I said nothing.

"But, it seems as though things are becoming much more interesting than I first expected, so kudos to you!"

"You-"

 _Slap!_

My eyes darted back to the screen, where the angle shifted towards the door and shook for a few seconds. The sound of a chair scraping against the floor and footsteps slowly diminished to the previous noise level. Once the cam stabilized, Yuigahama's figure came into focus; her right hand was flat and off to the right, her teeth slightly clenched with a dead serious expression imprinted on her face.

"H-how could you say something like that! About Hikki, about how w-we, we shouldn't…worry?" As quick as her anger appeared, it simply vanished as an exhausted Yuigahama started tearing up again. It was finally time for Yukinoshita to console her crying clubmate once more; obviously it was painful to watch from such a great distance, but in the end the anger and negative atmosphere seemed to simmer down. The arrival of Hiratsuka-sensei seemed to also bring things back to a sense of reality. With that, Haruno's complexion gradually showed signs of boredom.

"I guess that is the end of it for now. You guys show a solid five seconds of excitement before going back to being quite _boring_ , but it was still pretty eventful." She sighed, finishing the last of her drink before moving her hand to close her laptop. My mind gave a small sigh of relief at that point, as though the day's torture has finally concluded-

"SENPAAIIIII!"

 _Crap._ Haruno's hand froze, and that irritating smile of hers returned. Isshiki, you couldn't have helped your reliable senpai out and wait a couple of seconds? Huh?

"Looks like it's not over just yet," she chuckled, sitting back in her seat to let the new set of events unfold.

 _This is going to be a long day._

* * *

The rest of the afternoon was spent at that table, half-heartedly monitoring the events in Chiba as Isshiki joined Yukinoshita and Yuigahama on a trip to another cafe. Other than Isshiki ordering a MAX coffee, things seemed not very out of the ordinary. On most occasions I would not see ordering MAX coffee as a negative thing; in fact, someone appreciating the sweet and satisfying nature of that heavenly beverage is a small token for change. But Isshiki? That sly fox of a kouhai? Not expected.

Of course, things started to become complicated when Hayama and his clique showed up...that curled Haruno's lips upward even further. Is that even natural?

The dashing prince of Sobu conversed with Yukinoshita, and apparently she didn't want Isshiki to know about my disappearance.

"Why is she trying to avoid that conversation? Isshiki is going to figure out that I'm gone eventually. I'm a bit surprised she hasn't found out yet, since she's usually the first one to squeeze that sort of info out of people," I commented, taking another sip from my drink. We had already order a round of refills from the cafe. Twice.

"You really are a dense one, Hikigaya-kun," she sighed, nodding towards the screen. Moments later, Tobe spills the beans about my absence. If this moment had been an apocalyptic moment that started World War III, then I'd say something along the lines of "Tobe you dumbass." However, under the current circumstances and the inevitability of Isshiki hearing of this, my response is more like:

"Tobe you're still a dumbass but your current actions are not reflective of this."

While Yukinoshita was reprimanding Tobe for his apparent slip-up, the camera was still focused on Isshiki, who was sitting across from the two clubmates. Her expression froze, and she didn't make much movement for the next couple of moments. She looked...shocked, yes. Panicked? And...a mix of sadness and disbelief.

A slow realization started to kick in as I gritted my teeth. She was a playful kouhai to me, but I never thought much about it. What was I to her? A reliable senpai on the surface level, though what was going on in that mind of hers was up to anybody's opinion.

"She definitely is into you," Haruno butted in. Within two minutes, her hypothesis bore fruit. With Isshiki now a sobbing mess, I couldn't help but get frustrated at myself. Not only was I probably the cause of this scenario from occurring, but I couldn't do anything at this point; these events were bound to happen sooner or later. It was only the meddling of the elder Yukinoshita sibling that sped everything up. It was a cruel trick she played, but what would have gone differently if this entire setup never went through bothered my logic the most. As my mind continued to grind its gears, Yukinoshita was again on clean-up duty with Isshiki… which she managed to do quite effectively spouting words of encouragement that I could tell was not entirely confident.

"That's enough for today, aren't you tired as well?" I droned, noticing that her eyes had were not as sharp as they usually are. It was pretty much dark outside, as the entire afternoon was spent at this very location. Of course our legs were cramped up from all the inactivity. If Haruno was thinking of a reason to protest my statement, it all but fell to pieces as she quietly winced at the slightest movement of her legs.

"I believe it would be best to call it a day, as you wish," she conceded, finally closing the laptop screen. There may have been something I'll miss from now until the end of the night, but going through two breakdowns within a couple of hours like I'm watching some sort of highschool drama is a bit overwhelming for the first day.

Once the car got back to the Yukinoshita estate, I looked out toward the slowly diminishing moonlight, exhaling and watching the mist slowly dissipate in the clear air. The physical atmosphere was just the opposite in nature of the storm brewing in everyone's minds.

These next few weeks are going to hurt like hell. For all that it's worth, I'm the center of it all, and I can't do a damn thing about it.

* * *

That's how the next few weeks went by. Waking up in a gigantic bedroom took some getting used to, but eventually I could get out of bed without a panic attack of not knowing where I was anymore; some fancy meals with Haruno Yukinoshita, which was probably one of the less _unenjoyable_ activities during my time here. Of course I've averted any MAX coffee, just in case. It's more of a psychological aversion at this point than anything long-term; nothing can break years of trust with that beverage, not even poisoning and abduction. Then, Haruno would pull whatever she wanted to do for the day out of her head, mostly shopping, some attractions, which more often than not she called a "date" just to mess with me. But recently it started to feel more like a vacation that has been extended a bit too long, and she even is showing the signs of that. In short, she's bored.

What happened over those few weeks? Nothing much in Chiba, so that's probably why.

Okay, there is something, or more precisely something going to happen today. It's the first day that the Sobu Student Council meets with Kaihin Sougou to go over a graduation festival. The thought of a graduation festival is a bit tacky, but nevertheless it sounded like a good idea. On paper. Of course there will be struggles and complications in the planning stage, as the student councils' track record has been pretty crappy, to say the least. That Tamanawa could start a small weather pattern with his hand gestures, while Orimoto could preach however many times she wants if it makes the council feel better about this colossal project.

Haruno and I sat at another cafe in this city which seemed to have an unlimited supply of cafes. Once the meeting was about to start, she ordered the first round of drinks as if we were watching some movie. It's the kind where I would rather not watch even if I were paid to do so; with Hayama in the cast I was already disinterested. The thought of Hayama actually helping the student council in this type of situation was ridiculous. Sure, he has the charisma and personality that people would associate with a natural leader. Some individuals at the other high school apparently held him in high regard, except for Orimoto after he showed a part of his true self to her that one time. Other than that, he seems like the man for the job. Unfortunately, the joint council meetings fall under the category where even natural leadership is tested with roundabout conversation and 99% "beating around the bush." It's easy for any sort of leader to fall into this rut in order to not only please everyone else but also find a sense of rhythm in the group dynamic. The problem lies in that this group dynamic is what causes the internal failure in the first place.

This failure played out in real time throughout the entire meeting, where Hayama was only adding to the circumventing of ideas; no real thoughts on logistics, just superficial throat-clearing ideas. I almost gagged at his rebuttal of Yukinoshita's statement, as she was trying to push the council to move forward with concrete ideas, while he just brought it back to Tamanawa's court.

A trainwreck in slow-motion once again. But this time…

"You won't be able to save them now, won't you?" Every time she uttered this phrase, I mentally grimaced knowing that it was the truth. Being removed from Chiba meant that I was not physically able to intervene with their activities.

The project was a failure from the start; brought on by Kaihin Sougou, it was over-ambitious with not enough time nor resources to figure everything out in time. Perhaps two capable councils could have been able to just barely pull through, but the two councils involved currently are far from that, even with the help of Yukinoshita and Yuigahama. I was pretty sure I wouldn't have helped much at all, but even a little push with a slim chance of succeeding would feel better than not being able to change the path of an inevitable collapse.

As the meetings continued to come and go, Haruno seemed to slowly become more interested in the conversations and interactions, especially involving Yukinoshita. Yukinoshita was trying her very best to stay calm and collected and divert the attention of the council toward realistic goals; however, it was either miscommunication within the groups or the lack of strength or conviction behind her voice that kept the meeting from moving forward. Both Haruno and I could tell that she was exhausted, as well as quite distraught over everything. She was obviously still mad at me, no doubt. But she didn't show anger, but instead a mix of sadness and feigned confidence.

But even her best seemed to not be able to penetrate the wall of ignorance that the council had built up over the weeks leading up to the festival. It was almost two weeks into the process. They will have to call an "emergency" meeting in a few days in order to "finalize the general plans" of the festival. General meaning overarching themes, nothing specific to what is actually going to be put into the activities or stalls at the event.

 _This is not good_ I ended up mumbling to myself out of habit. One of the only reasons why the Christmas event came together in the end was the concerted effort of both Yukinoshita and I to oppose Tamanawa. There needs to be at least two people that would oppose in order to actually have a voice in the issue against Kaihin Sougou and their circlejerk council. In the present case, Hayama has fallen out of favor, Yuigahama never really could project her voice against the council, and Isshiki was hesitant of losing popularity among everyone. The rest of the Sobu council were under the lead of Isshiki, but recently they have put Yukinoshita as acting head just as they had done so with me during the last collaboration effort. It was too much for one individual...that's why I asked the Service Club in the end for assistance.

It was all frustrating; why can't society just work for once? Groups of teenagers really can't plan anything without assistance from someone with authority.

"Not so well, right?" Haruno chuckled, taking a bite into a sandwich that was probably more expensive than someone's weekly allowance. "It's a shame that they can't figure things out on their own...though I do feel at fault if an event this big were to not succeed. It's something planned for the entire Sobu senior class, while I only wanted to see what would happen to a smaller number of individuals. Oh well, what is done is done," she concluded. "Unless you can think of a way you could contact someone to help, without giving away anything about your situation."

Right, that. Haruno gave one exception for my isolation from Chiba; I could contact someone who would not disclose my current situation. It was a ridiculous statement, since virtually anyone I would normally talk to would automatically let everyone know that I was at least okay, even if I tried to persuade them not to talk. A Catch-22 of sorts. Irritating, I know...unless…

I recounted again my small set of connections. Yukinoshita and Yuigahama are automatically out, along with Isshiki and Komachi. They're too close to not cause this entire situation to collapse. Class 2-F is also out of the question: Tobe would blabber, Ebina is not a very helpful resource at this time either, Miura would not help even if she could, Kawasaki may not react well to the news, and so too would Totsuka. Zaimokuza would be in Tobe's boat. Hayama has proven that he is of no use in the council. Sensei was a gamble: she would be understanding of my situation, but since Haruno is involved, she may take action against her once this is over. Which means that Yukinoshita would figure out and things would not end smoothly. That left an individual whom I admittedly respect, and would probably be the person for the job out of anyone.

I nodded towards Haruno, then took my phone out. A few scrolls later and I reached her contact, waited for a moment, then dialed the number. Two rings in, and the phone picked up on the other end. Figures, she must have already known about my absence once the news broke out across the school. I sighed as her voice came across the line.

"Eh, Hikigaya-kun?!"

"Yo, Shiromeguri-senpai." I still used the honorific, of course. "Are you alone?"

"Yeah, I'm in my room, but that's not the issue...are you okay?"

"I'm fine thanks. I have two things to ask you. First, please don't tell anyone of this conversation or that I'm okay or anything. I'll tell you a bit of my situation, but that's it."

There was a few seconds of silence, probably her thinking over what I just said.

"Alright, I'll agree to that as your reliable senpai. So what happened?"

"All I can say is that I did leave Chiba, but not on my own terms."

"So _she_ had something to do with it?"

I was a bit surprised. "How could you tell?"

I heard a bit giggling. "One can tell who's the culprit if you put the pieces together. But as long as you're safe I'm glad." There was a pause before she continued. "But, there's another reason why you're calling me, right?"

"You're right." Time to get straight to the point. There was one person who could bring things back for Sobu High.

"Shiromeguri-senpai...I have a request."

And I knew damn well from the start she was all for it.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm back! Sorry for an even longer hiatus than expected by everyone. Apologizes for the delay! University is much more intense than expected, and the summer preceding took a lot of time away from writing. Wanted to put this out here as a nice little Christmas present from Hikigaya and crew! Well, little meaning the longest chapter to date at over 8.7k is not too bad. This is Part 1 of the Loner's Explanation, so expect Part 2 in the future, hopefully sooner. Don't worry, I've not been abducted either by a can of MAX coffee. See you in the next chapter!**


End file.
